Tomato Tortilla Soup

My first taste of tortilla soup was in Mexico several years ago. I have never forgotten the flavors and find myself constantly trying the various styles of these soups at restaurants. This soup is a warm and hearty soup that will fill you up on a cold winter night. It is very rich in color and the jalapeño pepper provides just enough heat so that it does not overpower the dish. The best part of cooking this recipe is the smell of the cumin mixed with the vegetables. It makes me fall in love with the spice every time.

A bowl of this with half a sandwich is a very satisfying meal. It can also be served as a dip with flour tortillas. The soup freezes well but it never lasts long in our house. Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

Recipe

2 ears fresh corn, husks removed
5 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1 small onion (about 3 ounces), peeled, trimmed, and quartered
1 jalapeño pepper, trimmed and seeded
2 Tbsp corn oil
2 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch squares
2 large ripe tomatoes (1 pound), peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 tsp ground cumin
2 quarts chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garnish:
5 corn tortillas
1 large chicken breast, cooked, boned, and skinned
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese grated
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional)
1/2 cup sour cream, (optional)

1. Using a large knife, carefully scrape the kernels off the corn cobs and set aside, reserving the cobs.

2. Using a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or a large knife, coarsely chop the garlic, onion, jalapeño pepper, and corn kernels. Reserve.

3. In a large soup pot, heat the oil. Add the squares of tortillas and cook over low heat until they are slightly crisp. Stir in the chopped vegetables and simmer just until the vegetables are coated with the oil. Do not brown.

4. Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, and 2 teaspoons of the cumin and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes to maximize the flavor. Slowly pour in the stock, add the corn cobs, and cook over low heat until the soup is reduced by one-third.

5. Discard the corn cobs and purée the soup, in small batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth (do not fill the blender more than 1/3 full). At this point, the soup can be passed through the fine strainer, if desired. Return to a clean pot and season with salt, pepper, and additional cumin to taste.

6. Prepare the garnish: Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the tortillas into thin strips and arrange on a baking tray. Bake until the strips are crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Cut the chicken into thin strips or shred it.

7. To serve, add the chicken to the soup and reheat over low heat. Ladle the soup into 6 to 8 warm soup bowls and garnish with the baked tortilla strips, Cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.

Shortcuts and Notes:

Use frozen corn instead of cobs when unavailable or to shorten the effort. Approximately 1 1/4 cups equals 2 cobs. Use one can of diced tomatoes instead of the fresh when not in season.

CAUTION: The blender step is dangerous unless the soup is sufficiently cooled. Alternatively use a hand blender if you have one and then strain. You can also skip the straining effort if you don’t care if it is a consistent texture throughout especially if using a blender.

Servings: 8

Source: Adapted from a Wolfgang Puck recipe

Rosle Sieve Disc 0,8 cm