Tortilla Soup

Jeff and I were suppose to go to a Murder Mystery Dinner last weekend and I was suppose to take soup for the potluck.  Well we ended up not going to the dinner because William was sick but I had already made the soup and it was delicious.  The recipe makes a lot so you may want to cut it in half unless you want a huge batch of soup.

Tortilla Soup

1 tablespoon oil

2 large onions, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes

12 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

juice of 2 limes

1 package (8oz.) small corn tortillas, cut into 1/4 in-thick strips

4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4 inch thick strips (or use a whole shredded chicken)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Monterey Jack cheese

1.  Heat 1 tblsp. vegetable oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until translucent, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in two-thirds of the garlic, 1 tbsp. salt, cumin, and chile flakes and cook 2 minutes.

2.  Add broth, tomatoes, and half of the lime juice and increase heat to a gentle simmer; cook 20 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, pour about 1 in. of vegetable oil into a small frying pan set over medium-high heat.  When oil is hot but not smoking, add one-third of the tortilla strips and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer strips to a paper towel-lined sheet pan.  Repeat with remaining strips.  Sprinkle with salt while hot.  Set aside.

4.  Puree soup.  (I use an immersion blender but if you don't have one just put it in your blender in batches.)  Return soup to pot and resume simmering.  In a small bowl, toss chicken with remaining lime juice, garlic, and add 1/2 tsp. salt.  Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes, then add to soup and simmer until chicken is cooked through.  Stir in cilantro just before serving.

Serve with tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, and cheese.

Note.  When I made this last weekend I cooked 2 lbs of chicken according the the recipe and then added half of a shredded chicken to add more chicken to the recipe.  Even if you use precooked chicken go ahead and add the marinade in with the chicken to get all of the flavor into the soup.

What's For Dinner

Even though I love to cook, I don't always enjoy coming up with what to cook.  I do well for a while especially after looking through my newest cooking magazine but after the excitement wears off I am just like everyone else.  Fortunately, my family does like to help with the menu.  Sometimes they are more helpful than others but at least they do like to contribute.  William is responsible for our menu of the evening and I was more than grateful for the suggestion and thankful that it wasn't Salmon, noodles, and peas which is his most frequent and favorite request.  Tonight he wanted Goulash.  It is perfect weather for it and I was more than happy to satisfy his tastebuds for the evening.

So in case you are interested here is the recipe I am using.  It is adapted from The Dean Bros.  Y'all Come Eat.  (I do lighten up the recipe by draining the meat and taking out the additional salt.)

Goulash

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 pounds ground beef

1 - 1 1/2 cups onion, finely chopped

2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 29-ounce can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Brown meet and onion together until the meat is browned.  Drain.  Return meat mixture to pot.  Add remaining ingredients except the macaroni.  Reduce heat; simmer, covered for 20 minutes.  Stir in the macaroni, simmer, covered for 20 minutes.  Let goulash stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Makes 8-10 servings.

I love to serve with shredded white cheddar cheese on top and crusty french bread.

Enjoy!

I will try to post some pictures later today.