AJI BEEF TACO SOUP
January 19, 2012
We spoke earlier this week about creation of soups and stews on the grill and today we’ve got blogger extraordinaire, Chris Grove of NibbleMeThis.com, doing just that while also cleaning out a fridge full of leftovers.
Waste not, want not – this is one of those “use up the scraps” recipes. Nothing fancy at all, but functional and easy.
I used up
-the lean pieces of beef from the “chain of bull” that is trimmed from a beef tenderloin
-the last of my batch of taco seasoning
-the last of the tomatillos we had
-a bit of the Aji salsa that was too hot to eat by itself
The aji is a fiery mix of jalapenos, habanero, and green onion that were roasted and mixed with cilantro, lime juice, and S & P.
I can’t imagine why it was so hot (ha!).
If you want to make this Aji, you can use this Aji recipe and add a habanero pepper. Or if you just want to go milder, skip the Aji altogether and just use a can of mild green chilies.
Aji Beef Taco Soup
Adapted from Crockpot Taco Soup #1
Ingredients
1 lb beef tenderloin, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 ea tomatillo, husks removed and diced
2 ea green onion, green and white parts all chopped
3 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 cup beef stock
1 can diced tomatoes, not drained
1 can corn, not drained
1 can black beans, not drained
4 oz can sliced black olives
1/4 cup Aji salsa
1/4 cup cilantro
Toppings – more cilantro, green onion, shredded cheese, fried tortilla strips, and/or sour cream
Instructions
Preheat a cast iron Dutch oven on a 325f grill over direct heat. Brown the beef for about 5 minutes. Remove beef from Dutch oven.
TIP: When sautéing on a grill, you don’t have the precise heat control like a range top so keep a close eye on it and stir frequently to avoid burning.
Add the onion and tomatillo to the Dutch oven, cooking for 5-8 minutes until softened.
Return the beef and all remaining ingredients except the cilantro to the Dutch oven and mix together. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the Dutch oven from the grill, stir in the cilantro, cover and let sit for another 10-15 minutes. Despite being off the grill, the cast iron will continue to cook the soup.
Garnish and serve.
