I made some tortilla soup tonight for dinner. We have a neighbor who just had shoulder surgery so I decided it was my turn to return the favor since they have provided meals several times following my wife’s surgeries. I know how much we like this soup , so I mad extra.
The first picture is the white corn tortillas I used. I actually use them in two ways.
First they are cut up into smaller pieces and run through the food processor along with flour and spices.
Here is the corn meal after processing.
The other way I use the tortillas is to cut them in strips. Now I have used them just like this to garnish the soup when it is served. I have also used them after frying them to crisp them up a bit, making them crunchy.
Next is the chicken I cooked on my PBC the other night.
Followed by the diced up chicken which will be added toward the end of the process.
Got to have some veggies in the soup. A lot of versions I have tried over the years have tomatoes in them. I don’t care for those versions as much as I love this one.
After coarsely chopping the onions and red pepper, they go into the food processor and are minced.
The next step is to put the oil in the pan, add the minced veggies and cook until them until they are transparent.
While I was slowly cooking the minced onions and red pepper, I took the tortilla strips and made several batches in the deep fat fryer.
Once the onions and red pepper are ready, the seasoned corn meal is added to the pan in small batches and stirred in until all the remaining oil and liquid are combined into a smooth paste. You cook it further, kind of like a roux. Be careful. It will burn if you don’t keep stirring.
The next step is to add the chicken broth a cup at a time and stir to thoroughly mix un till all the liquid is added. I next add the diced chicken and some chopped fresh cilantro. Finally, before serving I re-season the soup with some more salt. I always try to not use much salt when I start cooking. I can always add later.
Her is my wife’s bowl. She wanted crispy tortilla strips in hers.
I still had a few pieces of fried chicken skin that were leftover, so I tossed them back into the hot oil and crisp them up.
Finally, I added several pieces of crispy chicken skin to my bowl. Really nice combination.
Here is the recipe I used to make the tortilla soup. It is fairly simple to make. It is always good, especially if there is a bit of a chill in the air.
Recipe By: Cher Cunningham (a long time friend of my wife)
Ingredients:
1 each bell pepper, small, minced
1 each onion, medium, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 ounces corn tortillas
3 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup diced cooked chicken
Directions:
1. Put the onion, garlic and bell pepper in the food processor. Pulse until minced.
2. Put the olive oil in a big pan. Add vegetables and cook until transparent, not brown.
3. Add the butter. Remove from heat.
4. Put the corn tortillas in the food processor with the flour, chili powder, cuminn, salt and black pepper. Process into corn meal.
5. Add to big pot and use a wire whisk to make a smooth paste.
6. Cook 4 to 5 minutes. Constantly scraping the bottom and sides.
7. Increase the heat. Add chicken broth 1 cup at a time, constantly stirring with the whisk.
8. Keep whisking until smooth, about 5 minutes. Don’t allow to come to a full boil.
9. Add diced chicken and cilantro.
10. Top with cilantro, green onion and tortilla strips.
11. You can serve with sour cream and/or lime wedges.
If you feel somewhat adventuresome, give this one a try. You won’t be disappointed.
Art