Menestra Or Sopa De Verduras (market Vegetable Soup)

Total Time: 8 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 7 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 poblano chile, roasted, seeded, and diced
• 1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans
• 1 small leek, trimmed of dark green leaves, cleaned, quartered, and sliced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 small carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
• 2 cups finely diced mixed seasonal vegetables (zucchini, green beans, red bell pepper, yams, green cabbage, mushrooms, peas, kale, etc.)
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 8 cups water (or vegetable broth)
• 2 guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 corn tortillas
• 2 ounces crumbled cotija cheese

Recipe

• 1 combine all the soup ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours, checking occasionally and add more water (or broth) if needed.
• 2 taste and adjust the seasoning.
• 3 while the soup cooks, make the garnishes.
• 4 heat a heavy skillet over med-high heat.
• 5 add the chiles and toast on both sides, turning occasionally and pressing down with a spatula, until dry and quite dark, but not burned.
• 6 remove from the pan.
• 7 when the chiles are cool enough to handle, crumble into small pieces.
• 8 in the same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
• 9 cut the tortillas into 1/2-inch squares and fry until crisp; drain on a paper towel.
• 10 serve the soup very hot, garnished with some of the fried tortilla squares, a sprinkle of crumbled chiles, and some cotija cheese.