Tortilla Soup

Let these cook down until the onions get transluscent about five minutes or so.

While those are cooking, measure out some spices.

Measure out two tablespoons of chili powder, one teaspoon each of cumin and oregano and one-half teaspoon of salt.  If you’re adventurous in the ways of heat, add in some cayenne pepper. I like to use about a teaspoon but you could reduce it to your liking.

Once the onions and peppers are done, add in two tablespoons of tomato paste. It’ll add some wonderful rich depth to the flavor.

Trust your friend Katie, it’s wonderful to add tomato paste to things like this.

Now toss in those spices baby!

Take a spoon and stir this around and let the tomato paste melt and cook right into the onions and pepper and brown a little.

This will take about another minute or two. Add in 4 entire cloves of garlic that you’ve chopped up nice and fine as well.

Right about now, your kitchen is smelling like something divine.

Now get yourself a glass of dry white wine. Like a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc.

Not to drink silly.  What are you thinking! (but I won’t tell on you if you take a sip).  Measure out 1 1/2 cups and pour it into your pot.

Stir it around until it’s lovely and warm and crimson lusciousness.

Bring this to a simmer and let it cook down a bit to intensify the flavors again.

Remember our homemade chicken stock from last week?

We are going to add six and one half cups of it right in. We’re also adding in two cans of fire roasted tomatoes.  Have you had them?  They are tomatoes that have been slow roasted over a fire and they are a little sweet and smokey and wonderful. I happen to love the difference in flavor of them.

We need to add some chicken in so add in 4 small or three large chicken breasts.

Simmer this big pot of love for about 30 minutes. I love the part where you do this…you can go sit down and watch part of Army Wives or Parenthood or Duck Dynasty (if you’re the Wonderful guy).

Or you can go and catch a quick nap, but I don’t recommend that. You might burn up the house if you don’t wake up in time.

After thirty minutes, remove your chicken breasts to a bowl.  It’s moist and juicy and wonderful but it needs to be shredded.  Take two forks and turn them upside down and pullllll that chicken a part.  I like medium-sized shreds of chicken. Enough for a good bite.

Once you have it all shredded, Pour it back into the stock and let it simmer for 10 more minutes, or 20 or 30 if you have the time.

It infuses all that goodness into the moist chicken and makes it truly delicious.

We need to add a couple more things to the pot and then we’re done!  And that includes two cups of frozen corn.

And, add in one can of black beans.

I love black beans…they complete me.

This step might seem a little odd to you, but if you can find Masa Harina, just trust me and do it.   I put this in my chili also and it adds a depth of corn flavor that just makes you smile.   You can find Masa Harina in the Latino or Mexican section of your grocery store and it is finely ground corn flour. Add 2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of water and mix it up and stir it right into the soup.

Now, you want to let the corn and beans bubble for another 5 minutes to heat through, and while that’s happening, slice up some corn tortillas into thin strips.

And now to assemble the soup.   Ladle some into a bowl, Sprinkle in some tortilla strips, layer on some avocado slices. sprinkle on some cilantro and serve it garnished with lime wedges to squeeze over top.  You could add sour cream and cheese if you like, but I love the pure unadultered flavor of this without the added fat.

It’s so delicious.