Tortilla Soup
This bright, flavorful tortilla soup is adapted from a recipe from “The Milk Street Cookbook” It’s quite possibly one of the easiest soups I’ve ever made, yet it’s so packed with fresh flavors, that you’d think it took hours to prepare. I changed a couple things…like removing all traces of cilantro and cutting back on the jalapeños, but if you like soapy-tasting herbs and lots of spice, you can add another jalapeño and add the stems from one bunch of cilantro to the pot to cook, then garnish with the leaves. I used chicken stock, but if you’re vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock. The recipe calls for fresh tomatoes, and I’ve gotta say, it makes the soup. Don’t get me wrong, I love canned tomatoes, but fresh ones are the way to go for this particular soup.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large white onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored
- 2 cups yellow or white tortilla chips, plus more to serve
- 1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, jalapeño and cumin and cook, stirring for 30 seconds.
Stir in the whole, cored tomatoes, tortilla chips, chicken stock and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened and their skins begin to peel away.
Remove from the heat. In batches, carefully ladle the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer each blended batch to a large bowl.
Wipe out the pot with a damp paper towel, then pour the blended soup back in, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often until heated.
Serve with :
Sour cream or greek yogurt
Cotija or cheddar cheese
Diced avocado
Fresh parsley, or cilantro
Lots of tortilla chips
