Guajillo Chilaquiles and Mexican Flavored Acorn Squash Soup #Fabulous Fall Bounty

Welcome to Day 4 of our 5 day event called Fabulous Fall Bounty.  This event, hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, has been so much fun and there have been tons of great recipe ideas for the Holiday season that is nipping at our heels.

Camilla had arranged for sponsors to assist us in creating recipes for this Fabulous Fall Bounty event.  Melissa's Produce provided all the bloggers with a huge box of seasonal produce.  Le Creuset provided us each with this gorgeous platter.  Silpat sent us each a baking mat.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for any of the posts in this event and all ideas, thoughts and opinions are completely mine and completely honest.

I'm pretty excited about today because not only was I able to use products from each of our sponsors but I am able to share two recipes with you that together made a perfect Meatless Monday meal.

I had gotten this wonderful bag of dried Guajillo chiles from Melissa's.  I did what I always do when given Mexican ingredients.  I turned to my well used copy of Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen and looked up Guajillo in the index.  There were some great recipes that I will be trying including one for a Grilled Steak with a Spicy Guajillo Sauce. Stay tuned for that.

I finally decided to make Guajillo Chilaquiles for a Meatless Monday meal.  I was concerned that the Chilaquiles by themselves would not be substantial enough to constitute a meal so I decided to roast up the Acorn Squash and Celery Root along with some sweet onion and carrots and create a Mexican inspired soup.

I simply made a simple roasted and pureed soup, added some chili powder and cumin for flavoring and garnished it with roasted, salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for some texture.   It was amazingly tasty.

Frank made up some of his Fantastic Margaritas and it was a wonderful casual dinner perfect for Meatless Monday or Taco Tuesday.

Don't forget to stop by and see all the other Fabulous Fall creations following my recipes.

Guajillo Chilaquiles

adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen

6 cloves garlic, unpeeled

16 med. large dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 t. dried oregano

black pepper, to taste

dash of cumin

5 1/3 c. chicken stock, divided

1 1/2 T. olive oil

salt, to taste

sugar, to taste

1 pkg. Totada or Taco corn shells, broken into pieces

1/4 c. Crema or sour cream thinned with a bit of milk

1/4 c. Mexican crumbling cheese or Feta cheese

1/2 of an Avocado, peeled and sliced

Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Cook for about 15 minutes, until soft and blackened in spots, set aside to cool.

While garlic is roasting, use other side of skillet to toast the chiles.  Open the chiles and lay them flat onto the skillet, pressing down with a spatula.  Cook until they crackle and send up a wisp of smoke, turn and press down to toast the other side.  Set aside, in a small bowl, until all chiles are toasted.  Cover with boiling water and allow to rehydrate for half an hour.

Drain and discard the water from the chiles and place them in the bowl of a food processor.  Peel the roasted garlic and add to the chiles along with the oregano, pepper, and 2/3 cup of the stock. Blend to a smooth puree, stirring and scraping often.  Press through a medium sieve strainer, removing any leathery skin from the chiles.  

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over med-high heat.  When hot enough that a drop of the puree sizzles when dropped into it, add the remaining puree.  Cook and stir until puree thickens into a paste, about 5 minutes.  Add 3 cups of the chicken stock and simmer, partially covered, until it resembles a thick tomato sauce, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Taste and season with salt and sugar.

Add remaining chicken broth to the pot and heat to a boil.  Add the broken corn shells. Stir and cook for a few minutes until they are softened but still retain shape.  

Spoon onto a platter. Drizzle with the crema, sprinkle with the cheese and garnish with the avocado slices.  Print Recipe

Mexican Flavored Acorn Squash Soup

1 acorn squash, quartered and seeded

1 celery root bulb, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 of a sweet onion, halved with root intact

1 large or 2 small carrots, scraped and chunked

1 T. garlic infused olive oil (or regular olive oil and a garlic clove roasted with veggies)

salt and pepper to taste

4 c. chicken stock

1 t. chili powder

1/4 t. cumin

Roasted, salted pepitas for garnish

Toss the squash, celery root, onion and carrots in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Place onto a baking sheet that has been lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  Bake in a preheated 400* oven for 30-45 minutes, until vegetables are tender and browned.

Remove from oven and place into a food processor or heavy duty blender.  Add the chicken stock and puree until smooth, adding more liquid (stock, water or cream) if necessary to achieve desired consistency.  Season with chili powder and cumin.  Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Reheat and serve garnished with pepitas.  Print Recipe

More Fabulous Fall Bounty Recipes

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