Tortilla Soup

By Bigeasy110

Ingredients

• Garnish:
• 2 Ears of Fresh Corn, Husks Removed
• 4 or 5 Large Garlic Cloves, Peeled and Minced
• 1 Small Onion Peeled, Trimmed, and Quartered
• 1/2 Cup of Mexican Salsa
• 1 Small Jalapeño
• 2 Tblsp Corn Oil
• 2 Corn Tortillas, Cut into 1" Square
• 2 Large Ripe Tomato, Peeled, Seeded, and Coarsely Chopped
• 2 Cups of Cooked Chicken
• 1 Tblsp of Taco Seasoning
• 2 Tblsp tomato Paste
• 2 to 3 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 6 Cups of Chicken Broth
• 2 Corn Tortillas
• 1 Ripe Avocado
• 1/2 Cup Grated Cheddar
• 1/2 Cup Fresh Chopped Cilantro

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 65mins

Preparation

Step 1

Using a large knife, carefully scrape the kernels off the conn cobs and set aside, reserving the cobs.
Using a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or a large knife, coarsely chop the garlic, onion, jalapeño pepper, and corn kernels. Reserve

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

Add tomatoes, the tomato paste, and 2 Tsp of the cumin and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes to maximize the flavor. Slowly pour in the stock, add the corncobs, and cook over low heat until the soup is reduced by one third.
Discard the corn cobs and puree the soup, in batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth. 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.

Prepare the Garnish: Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350. Cut the tortillas into thin strips and arrange on a small baking tray. Bake until the strips are crisp. 10 to 15 minutes. Peel and dice the avocado. Cut the chicken into thin strips.
To serve, add the chicken and avocado to the soup and reheat over low heat. Ladle the soup into 6 to 8 warm soup blows and garnish with the bake tortilla strips. Cheddar cheese, and chopped cilantro.