Cooking with Catherine Part V

I haven't posted a recipe since April, and thought it was high time I do another one! Yesterday, I made a really delicious soup, based on a recipe from Rancho La Puerta that a friend had given to me. I made a few changes, including adding in chicken breast, since it is so important to get enough protein.

Delicious Spicy Soup with Chicken and Vegetables

Olive oil (about a tablespoon)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 medium boiling potato, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 fresh jalapeno chili, cut lengthwise into fourths (use a small one or half of a medium sized one if you don't want it to be really spicy)

2 tbsp minced fresh oregano leaves

2 medium zucchinis, cut into 1/4 in slices (or 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash)

6 c chicken broth (6 cups = 1 1/2 of the containers shown in the photo)

1 c fresh corn (cut from about 2 ears)

1 c fresh cilantro, minced
1 chicken breast, sliced

Put a bit of salt and pepper on the chicken breast and sauté it in some olive oil for about 5 minutes (you don't want it to be raw inside). Then, put the chicken aside and, later on while the other ingredients are cooking, cut or shred the chicken into bite sized pieces.
In 4-quart pot (I used my big wok), heat the rest of the olive oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté onion, celery, carrot and potato, stirring until onion is golden. Add bell peppers, garlic, jalapeno, oregano, zucchini and yellow squash and sauté, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add broth and heat it to a simmer. Let it simmer until the potato and carrot are tender, about 5 minutes.

Puree the soup for a few seconds (maybe 5-10) in a blender – remember to leave the lid open a bit (otherwise, it will pop off and hot soup will go all over). Just pulse until the soup is a coarse puree, then return it to the pot. Stir in the corn, chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Then, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro after you take the soup off the heat.

Not sure how appetizing this looks, but it smells and tastes wonderful!