Salsa Verde Steak Soup

7-0. Our offense is averaging thirty-one points per game. The defense has held opponents to under twenty in every contest. On paper this looks like a machine. On the sideline it looks like a group of teenagers who are playing for each other in a way that rarely happens twice in the same program. I keep wondering what the catalyst was, and I keep coming back to the same answer: Jordan Rivera decided to be a leader and the team let him.

I called Hector on Sunday. He had a cardiology follow-up on Friday and I wanted to hear his voice after. He answered on the second ring, which is a good sign — he lets it ring more when he's not feeling well. He said the numbers were stable. The ejection fraction hasn't worsened. "Still a bum heart, but a stable bum heart," he said. I told him 7-0. He said, "Keep going." That's Hector. That's the whole conversation.

Diego started on JV this week. First official start. He carried the ball twelve times for seventy yards — nothing spectacular, but solid and reliable, and not once did he look uncertain on the field. I watched the game from the bleachers, anonymous in my Eldorado hoodie, and I did not coach him. That was the hardest part. He's not mine on that field. He's the JV coach's player. I watched as a father and I let it be that.

Made a batch of green chile salsa this weekend — the kind that requires roasting and blending, not just chopping. Roasted tomatillos, Hatch green chile, garlic, a jalapeño for extra heat, lime. The blender takes it to a consistency that is just rough enough to feel handmade. Poured it over eggs Monday morning. This is how every week should start.

The green chile salsa I made Sunday morning was its own reward — over eggs, with lime, just enough heat to wake everything up — but it also reminded me that those same roasted flavors deserve to carry further into the week. This salsa verde steak soup is where that impulse goes when I want the ritual of roasting tomatillos and Hatch chile to become something that feeds more than just one morning. It’s the kind of pot I’d set going while Hector’s voice was still in my head saying “keep going” — steady, warm, and built to last.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs flank steak or skirt steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 lb tomatillos (about 10 medium), husked and rinsed
3 Hatch green chiles (or Anaheim chiles), halved and seeded
1 jalapeño, halved
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 cup water
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro, sliced radishes, and warm tortillas for serving

Instructions

Roast the salsa base. Set your oven broiler to high. Arrange the tomatillos, green chiles, jalapeño, and unpeeled garlic cloves on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 5–7 minutes, turning once, until the tomatillos are charred in spots and softened. Let cool slightly, then peel the garlic.
Blend the salsa verde. Transfer the roasted tomatillos, chiles, jalapeño, garlic, and any juices from the pan to a blender. Pulse to a rough, textured consistency — not completely smooth. Season with salt and set aside.
Brown the steak. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season the steak cubes with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per batch. Transfer browned steak to a plate.
Sauté the onion. In the same pot, reduce heat to medium and cook the chopped onion until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Build the soup. Return the browned steak to the pot. Pour in the blended salsa verde, beef broth, and water. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
Add the potatoes. Stir in the diced potatoes. Simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the steak is cooked through and beginning to soften.
Finish with corn and lime. Stir in the frozen corn and simmer 3 more minutes. Add lime juice, taste, and adjust salt as needed.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh cilantro and sliced radishes. Serve with warm tortillas on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Salsa Verde Steak Soup — The Roasting Weekend That Sets the Week Right