Chilled Red Pepper Soup

Servings: 8
Ingredients:

42 oz Roasted red peppers
- (water-packed) rinsed,
- blotted dry, with all
- black bits removed
3 lg Garlic cloves
- peeled and split
4 c  Chicken stock
2 1/2 c  Buttermilk
1/4 c  Sugar
1 tb Salt; or to taste
4 c  Frozen or fresh corn kernels
3/4 c  Minced pickled nopales
-(See NOTE)
1 tb Finely chopped fresh oregano
-=OR=- Coriander
3 ds Tabasco sauce, to taste
8 oz Low- or non-fat yogurt
- for garnish
2 ts Minced fresh oregano
-=OR=- Coriander
- for garnish

3 lg Flour tortillas
- cut into 12 sections each
2 tb Vegetable oil
1/2 ts Dried oregano
1 tb Grated Parmesan cheese

IN THE BOWL of a food processor fitted with a steel chopping blade, combine
the peppers and garlic, and puree until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a
large non-aluminum bowl. Add the chicken stock, buttermilk, sugar, salt,
corn, nopales, oregano, and Tabasco, and stir to blend. Cover and chill for
at least 1 hour. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and oregano. Cover and
refrigerate.

TO MAKE THE CRISPS: Turn on your broiled, and position the rack at least 5
inches from the heat. Lightly brush the top of the tortilla wedges with
oil. Place them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Sprinkle on the oregano,
crumbling it with your fingers as you do this, then drizzle on the Parmesan
cheese. Run them under the broiler, just to crisp and color lightly,
watching so they do not burn. Before serving, ladle the soup into bowls.
Add about a tablespoon of the yogurt in the center. Sprinkle on chopped
oregano and serve with the tortilla wedges.

NOTE: Although Tex-Mex and other Latin delicacies are now available in many
markets across the country, pickled nopales or tender cactus leaves are
less available than jalapeno peppers, for example. If you cannot find them,
either chop a few pickled jalapeno peppers (with the seeds removed) or
simply omit them.

JOANNA PRUESS - PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK