Tortilla - Tortilla Soup Recipe?

Tortilla Soup Recipe?

I've had Houlihan's tortilla soup and love it! Those anyone out there know how to make it???

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tortilla soup

6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, preferably a little old and dried out

1/4 cup grapeseed oil, peanut oil, other high smoke-point oil

1 small onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium Anaheim, poblano or jalapeño chile, seeded, veins removed, chopped (Depending on the hotness and flavor desired. You can also mix chiles - 1 Anaheim and a half jalapeño.)

4 cups chicken broth or homemade chicken stock

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 ripe medium avocado

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (2 oz) (or other mild, melting cheese)

Chopped fresh cilantro

1 lime, cut into wedges

1 If you are starting with somewhat old, dried out tortillas, great. If not and you are starting with relatively fresh tortillas, put them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 200°F for 10-15 minutes to dry them out a bit. It is best to start with tortillas that don't have a lot of moisture in them. Cut tortillas in half; cut halves into 1/4-inch strips. In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Fry strips in oil, 1/3 at a time, until light brown and crisp. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels. Reserve.

2 Heat oil remaining in saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion in oil 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and chile; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes and salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken; heat until hot.

3 To serve, peel and pit the avocado. Cut into 1-inch slices. Divide half of tortilla strips among 4 individual serving bowls; ladle in soup. Top with avocado and cheese; garnish with remaining tortilla strips and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4.
Tortilla Soup Recipe courtesy Chef Russell Thornton, The Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery

Tortilla Soup

There are many ways to make Tortilla Soup. Mine is a chicken-based version, but you could easily make it seafood or vegetarian. The main characteristics of this soup are a medium-bodied broth filled with chunky vegetables, lime and chile, and an overriding richness of corn masa.

1/2 cup each 1/2-inch diced vegetables: yellow onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and tomato

1/2 cup roasted green chile, cut into a small dice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying

4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground comino (cumin)

2 cups Enchilada Chicken, recipe follows

6 each white corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips

6 each blue corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Chopped cilantro leaves, as needed

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salt, as needed

1 cup crushed corn tortilla chips

Begin with a large pot. Saute the vegetables and chile briefly in about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. When the vegetables are limp, add the broth and add the garlic and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add chicken, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile (or beforehand), fry the corn tortilla strips in 350 degree F oil for 2 minutes until crispy. Drain well on paper towels. At the Blue Corn Cafe, we always have tons of chips around so we used crushed ones for garnish on the bottom of the soup bowl...the strips are added at the top. I,of course, use white and blue corn tortillas. Yes, you can use all white or yellow tortillas.

To finish the soup, you've got to make some slurry. Yep...this will add just a little body to the soup. With the cornstarch in a cup-sized container, mix as little cold water as possible to form a thin paste. This stuff feels and looks like...well, slurry. Bring the soup back up to a boil; stir with 1 hand and pour the slurry in slowly with the other. Continue to cook on high heat for a minute, then reduce to low. The soup will look cloudy at first but will clear up and thicken slightly. Remove from heat.

Add cilantro and lime juice. Fill 8 to 12 cups or bowls about 1/4 full of crushed tortilla chips. Ladle soup on top. Place a handful of strips on top of each and serve. This soup (without the tortillas) keeps well for 3 to 4 days refrigerated. Tortillas will also keep well for a few days if sealed well and stored at room temperature. In moist climates they may require re-crisping in a 350 degree F oven for a few minutes.

Enchilada Chicken:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (breast, leg, or thigh)

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1/2 cup medium-dice green bell peppers

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves

2 teaspoons oregano leaves

3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons white pepper

4 cups (1 quart) water

This "machaca" style cooked meat is very versatile: use in tacos, enchiladas, soup, nachos, burritos, etc. Basically a process of braising, the meat and all ingredients are put together in a large pot and brought slowly to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If you desire, you can bake all of this in a covered dish in a 350 degree F. oven for about 3 hours for the same results. The meat should be tender to the point where it begins to shred...some of it may require quick chopping. You may want to reserve the liquid for use in soups, etc. Use the cooked meat in your dish right away or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

4 to 8 servings
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I have made this....it is really great!!!
Tortilla Soup Recipe

For the Stock:

1 (4 to 5 pound) whole chicken, innards removed and rinsed

Salt

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup medium diced carrots

1 cup medium diced celery

4 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

8 cups water

For the Soup

8 (7-inch) corn tortillas, recipe follows

Vegetable oil, for frying

2 cups chopped onions

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 bay leaf

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded (about 6 to 8 Romas)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Garnishes:

1 large avocado, peeled and diced

2 fresh limes, cut into quarters

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

For the Stock: Season the chicken with salt. Place in a large stock pot and add the remaining ingredients. Season with a teaspoon of salt. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 2 hours. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Remove the chicken and set aside. Strain the liquid into a another pan, discarding the vegetables. Remove the fat and bones from the chicken. Dice the chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.

For the Soup: Preheat the fryer. Cut half of the tortillas in quarters and thinly slice the other half. Fry both cuts of tortillas in batches, until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and set aside. In a stock pot, over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf and jalapeno. Continue to saute for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Crush the reserved fried tortilla quarters over the tomatoes. Stir to mix. Stir in the reserved chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. Using a hand-held blender, puree the soup until smooth or leave chunky. Reseason the soup. Stir in the reserved diced chicken and cilantro. Simmer for another 5 minutes. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls. Garnish with the avocados, squeeze of lime juice, fresh cilantro and the fried tortilla strips. Serve warm.

Corn Tortillas:

2 cups corn flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lard

1 1/2 cups water

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and lard. Mix well. Stir in the water. **The dough should be slightly wet. Form the dough into a smooth ball. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Place a little water on the hands and form the dough into small balls. Place the balls on a piece of parchment paper (12 inches by 8 1/2 inches). Using your hands, flatten the dough and form into a flat circle. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the circle. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 6 1/2 to 7-inch circle and 1/8-inch thick. In a medium non-stick skillet, over medium heat, brown the tortillas for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove and place between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Repeat the above process with the remaining dough. Serve warm. Yield: 12 tortillas