Chicken Tortilla Soup

As I'm sure you have noticed by now, we are huge fans of anything with Mexican flavors. And now that I have begun to be able to handle more spice, I have been enjoying experimenting with more jalapenos, chipotles, etc.

What can I say about this soup, other than it is my new favorite tortilla soup? I previously was partial to Ina's, but this one takes the cake. It should come as no suprise, given my previous successes with the Pastry Queen.

I love the idea of roasting the tomatoes before pureeing them with canned tomaotes. This forms the most flavorful broth. The original recipe calls for dried ancho chiles, but I didn't see any in my local Publix. I just substituted a chipotle chile in adobo sauce.

Have fun with the garnishes. I kept it simple with tortilla chips, cilantro, and Monterrey Jack cheese, but then I ate leftovers with some avocado, extra diced tomatoes, and salsa. Delicious both ways!!

Texas Tortilla Soup
adapted from The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather
serves 8

• 8 plum tomatoes
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 chipotle chile, diced
  
• 1 15-oz can peeled tomatoes
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 cooked, shredded chicken breasts
• 3 ears of corn, or 1 (8-0z) package frozen corn (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Spread 1 Tablespoon of oil on a baking sheet. Slice the tomatoes in half, and lay them skin-side up. Drizzle with another tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 25-35 minutes, or until the skins wrinkle and the tomatoes are beginning to brown around the edges.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a dutch-oven or 4-quart soup pot over medium heat. Sautee the onion, garlic, and bell pepper for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables become soft. Stir in the chili powder and cumin, and cook for an additional minute. Add the chicken stock and chile. Bring to a boil, and simmer about 15 minutes.

Transfer the canned tomatoes with their juices and the roasted tomatoes to a food processor. Pour an additional 1/2 cup of chicken stock on the baking sheet that you cooked the tomatoes on, and scrape up any browned bits. Scrape into the food processor. Puree about 1 minute, until smooth.

Add the tomato mixture to the soup, and continue simmering, covered, about 1 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste, the shredded chicken, and corn. Simmer an additional 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with desired ganishes.