Tortilla Soup

I love making dishes from other countries... I love the flavors that come to life with Mexican especially. I adapted this Tortilla soup from Rick Bayless' cookbook "Mexico One Plate at a Time." The original recipe was good, but by adding the fried chilies to the blender, it really makes a HUGE difference. The other difference is that I cook the chicken in some of the soup. It really helps to meld the flavors.

I usually try to make my own tortilla chips when I make this recipe as well... if you have never made your own tortilla chips, I would suggest trying it, they are delicious! I do not fry my chips, I bake them which makes them healthier (always a plus!). Just cause I was talking it up, I'm going to give you quick instructions (no pictures, sorry I don't have any) of how to make tortilla chips. I buy corn tortillas and brush each side of each tortilla with lime juice and then I cut them into fourths. Place the cut tortillas on a cookie sheet in a single layer and either brush or spray with olive oil. Salt to taste. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes, turn each tortilla chip, bake until browned (turning at least once more.) Serve with salsa or the following recipe.

Tortilla Soup

In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.

Toast 2 large dried pasilla chilies which have been stemmed and seeded for 30 seconds on each side. You will need to press them down so they touch the pan.

As you can see the chilies are in rough pieces, they tend to break apart as you remove the seeds... that is fine, they don't have to look pretty. Remove from pan.

Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to pan, and 1 medium white onion, sliced (be sure to use the white onion, not yellow) as well as 3 garlic cloves, peeled.

Cook until golden, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and add to a blender along with one of the pasilla chilies and 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes in juice. I have also used fresh tomatoes to make this (if you do you will need to strain out the skins after blending. Fresh tomatoes add great flavor, but I love how handy the canned tomatoes are.) Blend until combined.

Pour blended mixture into pan on medium high heat and cook until reduced about half, stirring constantly. It should take about 8-10 minutes.

 Add 2 quarts chicken broth to the blended, reduced tomato mixture. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 While soup is simmering, remove 1/2 cup soup mixture and cook 2-3 chicken breasts, cut in half (to make not as thick) in skillet.

Once soup has simmered for 30 minutes, serve with the other pasilla chile, crumbled; 1 large ripe avocado, cut into cubes, Cheese (Monterey jack, or cheddar), and fresh lime juice.

Enjoy!
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THE TORTILLA SOUP CHALLENGE by girlichef