Tortilla Soup.

I had a group of friends over last night and served them my tortilla lime soup for supper. I promised to post my recipe for them, so the below is a variation thereof.

What I served last night had been made the day before (soups are nearly ALWAYS better the second day, I find) and was made with a whole hen and no pre-made veggie stock, just the chicken itself. I also, for flavor's sake this time around (w/ the quick post baby cook method) added a couple cubes of chicken bouillon. I sauteed onion and garlic in olive oil until just tender and added that to the pot once I got my hen deboned and cubed.

You can keep eating on this soup for days by adding more liquid and more tomato, tortillas and veggies as you like. Throwing in some black beans gives it a new punch. Also, corn niblets.



Sopa de Lima

*Make this recipe as spicy as your family or friends like; there are no exact measurements since I rarely cook that way--- intuit it, you'll have a tasty and hearty meal and you CAN sub all veg stock for the meat. Moosewood has a nice recipe for that, but you can go with a variation on this if you're comfortable going more freeform.

Make stock with chicken pieces (i used 3 thighs since that's what was on hand) and saved veggie peels & butts (onion, celery, carrot, etc.) Cook slowly for a an hour or two. Cool and refrigerate overnight.

Second day: strain your stock. Discard the veggie skins and butts. Skin, debone and cube your chicken pieces. Put in a pot w/ the stock (a crock pot works nicely if you want to be hands for awhile, which is what I did when I came home for lunch briefly and hopped up my basic soup in a matter of a few minutes for a longer and safe simmer).

Chop or tear up a stack (1" high) of corn tortillas; add to pot. Add two cans of stewed tomatoes, halved and / or chopped, along w/ juice. (You can also use good homegrowns if they're in season or frozen quarters from the previous summer if you've still got some). Mince up several cloves of garlic to taste and add to pot. If you didn't use lots of onion in your stock, dice some up and add to pot. Poblano peppers, diced. (I used some I'd cut & frozen back last summer). Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Also: cumin, chile powder and if you have it, chipotle and / or ancho powder. Let the soup cook down until tortilla pieces are breaking up and thickening your soup.

Call your beloved to make a store run for more cilantro and fresh limes. When you get home from work or wherever, taste your soup. Add sea salt, pepper, cumin, etc. as needed.
Add juice of three or four limes, depending on how tangy you like your soup. Coarsely chop cilantro, maybe 1/2 to 3/4 C. Add to your soup and shortly, it'll be ready to serve w/ a dollop of sour cream, seasoned w/ lime juice, chile powder, cumin and sea salt. Mmm.