Mexican Tomato Chowder

It's a dreary, drizzly fall day on the west coast, so that called for a pot of soup for supper. I also picked most of my tomatoes this week, so I needed to do something with them. One of our favorite fall soups is a tomato-corn chowder made from a recipe that I snipped out of a paper many years ago. I must be a Mexican Mennonite because I sure do love the dishes with a Mexican flair! And I actually had all the ingredients on hand so I never even had to run to the grocery store. I used fresh herbs, but dried basil and oregano are fine.

Mexican Tomato Chowder

2 pounds field tomatoes

1 large onion

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups chicken broth

1 large can black beans, drained (19 oz.)

1 can beans in tomato sauce

2 cups sweet corn kernels (fresh, canned or frozen)

1 tsp. each of salt, oregano & basil

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

Scald tomatoes to remove skins and chop coarsely. In large saucepan, cook onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until softened (about 3 minutes). Stir in stock, chopped tomatoes, corn, beans, salt, oregano, basil and cayenne. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream!

And if you happen to have an 35-year-old orange pyrex bowl to serve it in, it will even look Mexican!

It's dinner time & then we're off to watch our local WHL hockey team play (now it's really starting to sound like winter). I have no idea who they are playing, but I'm going along for the ride. It sounds like they are off to a great start this season.