Tortilla Soup

The end of the season tomatoes are ripening in numbers to great for just fresh eating, so it was time to get out the soup kettle and make some tortilla soup.  I first had this dish at a neighborhood pot luck and loved the simple deliciousness of this soup.  On a grocery shopping trip, I ran into the neighbor who made it and she was there to buy the ingredients to make a large kettle for her daughter who was flying in from California.  Priscilla and I walked through the store as she put all the ingredients in her cart, while I wrote each one down on the back of my list.  By the time we were done, I had a memorable shopping trip and a new recipe.

We have made the soup many times since and have varied it only slightly depending on what is actually in the house when I make it.  When someone is under the weather, we call it the healing soup since it has so many tomatoes in it.  The recipe calls for canned tomatoes, but I will use fresh tomatoes that I blanch and peel before dicing and use slightly less water than I would add with canned.

Tortilla Soup

2   28 oz each canned tomatoes

water each can filled once

4-5 sprigs of cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2-3 cloves of garlic, diced fine

1 jalepeno pepper seeded and diced

3 chicken bouillon cubes or equivalent of powdered

2-3 raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 pound frozen corn

Shredded cheddar cheese

corn tortilla chips

lime wedges

Cut up tomatoes to a medium diced size (1/2" or so).  Add to kettle with water, cilantro, cumin, garlic, jalepeno, bouillion, and chicken.  Cook over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for at least one hour.  I make this in the slow cooker and will let it go all day on low or 3-4 hours on high.  Add frozen corn and heat thoroughly.  Add additional spices to taste.  Serve with cheese and tortilla chip sprinkle on top with a lime wedge squeezed in as well.  Make about 5 quarts of soup.

If you have leftovers and can't eat them all, this soup freezes well.  Do it in serving size portions to put in a lunchbox or a quick dinner instead of fast food.  Enjoy the recipe as much as we have.