Thursday, February 11, 2010

Tortilla Soup

We had some corn tortillas leftover from tacos a couple weeks ago that needed to be used so Matt decided to make us up a pot of tortilla soup for lunches this week.
Tortilla Soup
I've never had tortilla soup before & expected it to be spicy but its not at all. The broth is just full of flavor & warmth, so satisfying. Using fire roasted tomatoes adds a lot of flavor, we like the Muir Glen brand. We added some spinach in to give the soup a little green.
Home Fried Tortilla Chips
You can use store bought corn tortilla chips for this soup or do what Matt did & fry up some yourself. All he did was slice some corn tortillas (flour won't work here) into strips. Then heat up a pit with about 1/4-inch of vegetable oil in it. Fry the tortilla strips a few at a time until crispy. Drain on a paper towel. If you don't use them right away, let them cool & store in an airtight container.

Tortilla Soup
(adapted from Rick Bayless Mexican Everyday)

1 dried pasilla chile
2 T vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 garlic cloves, peeled
15 oz diced fire roasted tomatoes
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 t dried epazote
kosher salt
1 lb boneless chicken, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 c spinach leaves, roughly torn
grated cheese, something that melts well like cheddar or Monterey Jack (we used a Mexican blend)
corn tortilla chips

Toast the chile over an open flame or in a hot pan until it starts to release its aroma. Let cool & then remove the stem & seeds. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion & garlic. Cook until the onion starts turning light brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a blender. Add the toasted chile & diced tomatoes including the juice. Process until smooth.

Reheat the soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the sauce from the blender & cook while stirring until thickened, about 6 minutes. Add the chicken broth & epazote. Reduce the heat to a simmer & let cook for 15 minutes. Add salt as needed.
Add the chicken & cook through, 5 - 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach until wilted.

Ladle into bowls & garnish with melted cheese & broken tortilla chips.

6 servings

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© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

12 comments:

vanillasugarblog said...

I am very into soup these days, almost every meal is soup. This winter is brutal.
Love deep fried corn strips, smart.

Beth (jamandcream) said...

This soup would be most welcome right now - its freezing outside and all i've managed is a bowl of cereal for lunch

Tangled Noodle said...

Soup is nothing less than the Bowl of Life right now! I made up a pot a few days ago using leftovers and various spices for a Mexican flavor, but I was just thinking how much better it would've been if it had some crispy tortilla strips. I know what I'll be making . . .

grace said...

i love tortilla soup and until i saw this recipe, i thought i had already had the very best version of it. this sounds outstanding, much like everything else created in rick bayless's head. :)

George Gaston said...

kat & Matt... another awesome soup! This one has some serious flavors going on and Matt's homemade tortilla chips must really put this over the top. Brilliant - thanks

Stacy and Brian's Adventures in Life said...

Wonderful recipe! Thanks for sharing. We just got back from Mexico and ate tons of Tortilla Soup. Very good.

Fresh Local and Best said...

This soup looks wonderfully savory and delicious!

Lori said...

As Dawn states I am really into soup too. I find it helps me fill up without tons of calories. I have it for lunch and often times for dinner as well.

Anonymous said...

MMMM... I love chicken tortilla soup. I want to eat some right now. I'm in TN and our weather has been forty one day and fifteen the next.

Jack T said...

I like this soup very well

Deborah said...

What a great lunch!

Alicia Foodycat said...

That's a really good-looking soup! I can imagine how much flavour the fire roasted tomatoes added.

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