Chunky Southwestern Stew

The colder it gets, the more soup ends up on my table. I can't remember the last time that I bought a can of soup and have been making all of my soup homemade. It surely takes longer to make soup from scratch than to open a can, but the flavor is always worth the effort. This recipe utilizes fresh produce, Pastamore Fresh Jalapeno Oil, and vegetable broth to make a quick and flavorful stew.

Another bonus of making homemade soup is that you have an opportunity to control how healthy the soup is. It is easy to regulate the amount of oil and salt that goes in to a recipe when you are making it yourself. It is also possible to split batches in halves or smaller to account for different tastes when it comes to salt content, heat level, or whether or not the dish is vegetarian.

Ingredients:
1 qt - vegetable broth
1 oz - vegetable oil
2 Tbsp - Pastamore Fresh Jalapeno Oil
3 medium - Mexican squash
6 large - Tomatoes (on the vine preferred, but not beefsteak tomatoes)
1 medium - onion, small dice
1 can - black beans
1/2 can - corn (optional)
To taste - salt and black pepper
1/2 tsp - cumin
1 tsp - oregano

Directions:
1. Place a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating, dice the onion into 1/4" x 1/4" pieces. Once the pan is hot, add the vegetable oil and allow the oil to become hot. Add the onion and sweat the onion (temperature may need to be turned down to medium to prevent coloring of the onion). While the onions are cooking, prepare the rest of the vegetables.

2. Cut the squash into 1/2" thick half-moons and place to the side. Dice the tomatoes into 1/4" x 1/4" pieces. Once the onions are completely sweat, add the tomatoes and the squash to the pot (return heat to medium-high heat if turned down). Cook until the tomatoes have become fairly broken down, and then add the vegetable broth and bring to come to a boil.

3. While the broth is heating, add the black beans to a separate pot and heat according to directions. Once cooked, place in a colander and drain the liquid. Place to the side. Do the same with the canned corn if you would like to add it to the recipe.

4. Once the stew has come to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. The stew will be finished when the squash are cooked. They shouldn't be too soft, so be careful not to overcook. Once the stew is finished, turn off the heat and add the black beans, Pastamore Fresh Jalapeno Oil, and the spices. Season to taste and remove from the stove.

This stew is great served with some hearty bread or some tortillas. If the soup is not spicy enough for your liking, more jalapeno oil can be added or red pepper flakes/chipotle chili powder. If it is too spicy, add some water to thin down the soup.

This recipe would be great with some chicken or beef added in also. To do this, cut the meat into bite size pieces and sear in a pan. Add the meat to the stew the same time as the tomatoes and squash. The stew would then be finished when the desired temperature has been reached for the meat.