plantain soup

Serves 
6-8
Ingredients 
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1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 celery stalk, strings removed and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 1/2 cups homemade or canned low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra if needed

2 green plantains, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, some reserved for garnishing

2 bay leaves

1/2  teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground pepper

instructions
1 
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often until the onions are soft and browned, about 8 minutes. Add the chicken broth, plantains, cilantro, bay leaf and cumin, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook at a bare simmer, uncovered, until the plantains are very tender, 45 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
2 
Transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth (when blending hot liquids, fill the blender less than halfway full, place the lid askew and pulse the liquid at first to release some heat, otherwise, your blender top could pop!). Stir the pureed soup back into the pot with the remaining chunky soup and mix well. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add more chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the reserved cilantro, and serve.
Chica Tip 

To peel a hard green plantain, make a slit in the peel from top to bottom on each side of the plantain, and then just slip off the peel.