Tonight I’m making Tortilla Soup because one of my Mary’s told me to. Obedience isn’t really my forte, but I love this soup and she wants the recipe, that’s a win – win.
There are lots of really horrible tortilla soup recipes out there where you open about 20 cans of stuff and cook it beyond recognition. This one is different. First of all a person from Texas gave me the recipe. They seemed to know their Mexican food pretty well. Second, this soup has lots of yummy fresh stuff in it although I have a winter cheat for tomatoes. And finally, I have everything I need to make it and don’t have to run out in the rain and get groceries. Well, on closer inspection, I don’t have an avocado but that’s a garnish so we’ll just have to do without. Here’s the cheat – the recipe actually calls for 2½ cups of a puree of fresh tomatoes which just aren’t worth it in November in Nashville, so I use really good canned diced tomatoes like San Marzano. I put them in the food processor with the onion and puree it all together. The garnishes make this fun to serve.
Once I made Tortilla Soup and Black Bean Soup and tried to pour them in the individual serving bowls together so there would be a different soup on each side of the bowl. It didn’t work – trust me, this one is all you need!
Ingredients
3 Tbsp canola oil
4 corn tortillas torn in pieces
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 bay leaves
8 c chicken broth
cayenne pepper to taste
Garnish
1 cooked chicken breast cut in strips
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cubed
shredded cheddar cheese
3 corn tortillas cut in strips and fried or baked till crisp (or use tortilla chips)
cilantro
sour cream (for Sammy)
Directions
Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
Fry tortillas, garlic and cilantro until tortillas are soft.
Puree tomatoes and onion in a food processor or blender. Add to soup pot.
Add chicken broth and seasonings.
Reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring often.
Taste for salt and add as needed. Skim off any foam.
Strain soup (I use my colander), pour into soup bowls and serve with garnishes.
