Cod Soup

I've been craving this soup for weeks now.  I just knew a nice firm fish would stand up well to soup and it would give it a great flavor!  I wanted to stay away from spinach for this one and went with a zucchini instead.  I added a touch of heat with some jalapeno too.  Remember to be careful when removing the seeds and membranes and wash hands thoroughly afterward!

 Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil, minced or thinly sliced
3-4 Garlic Cloves
4-6 oz Mushrooms, sliced
4 Cups Vegetable Stock
1 Jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed, diced
3 Potatoes, diced in inch large chunks
1 Zucchini, diced in inch large chunks
5-7 Tomatoes, diced in small chunks
2 Cod Filets, diced in inch large chunks
2 tsp Dried Basil
1-2 tsp Cumin, to taste
Salt and pepper to taste


Add the oil to your pot, let it get hot and then add the garlic.  Let the garlic cook for a few seconds and then add the mushrooms.  It was really hard to get pictures of the steps for this soup, the mushrooms steamed up so much! Add a touch of salt and pepper here.

 Once the mushrooms have lost most of their water and have started to brown, it's time to add the stock, jalapenos and potatoes. I wanted the potatoes to have a bit longer to cook and soften. Add a little bit more salt and pepper again.

 While that's cooking, you can dice the zucchini and tomatoes and then add them to the pot with a touch more salt and pepper.  It's always best to add it in small touches along the cooking process!

 At this point I added some cumin and basil and cut up the cod.  I had been cooking about a half hour before I added the fish.  Once it was added, I turned down the heat to low and let it sit another half hour.  The only thing I would have done differently would be to have mashed some of the potatoes before serving.  The liquid was too thin for my taste.  But the flavor was awesome!  I topped it with parmesan cheese too! YUM!!