Chicken Tortilla Soup

Like all good Texans, my mom and I share an affinity for Tex-Mex.  In particular we love chicken tortilla soup.  So when we searched for activities to do over Christmas break, when a Tex-Mex cooking class at Central Market popped up, we jumped at the opportunity. The menu for the class consisted of fresh salsa, steak quesadillas, tortilla soup and sopapillas.  While we have both made most of those before, it was a great chance to learn new recipes, have something fun to do the day after Christmas, and stuff ourselves silly.

Those are the spices taking a moment to toast with the onions and garlic before adding more liquid ingredients.

One night early last week, I needed a meal that I could stretch into several to bring for lunches. So I made this soup and ate it every day for a few days, with tortillas that I quickly toasted over an open flame. Delish.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves 8-10
Adapted from Central Market Cooking School
Note: hominy is dried corn soaked in lye water to remove the hull.  Which results in large, white chewy kernels of corn with good, corny flavor. It is commonly found in the Hispanic isle of the grocery store.

1 onion
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1 28 oz can tomatoes, with juices
2 cups chicken stock
1 4 oz can green chiles
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can hominy, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked chicken
Tortilla chips

Optional garnishes:
lime juice
green onions
cheddar cheese
avocado

1. In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium low heat.
2. Small dice onion and add to pot.  Cook, stirring occasionally until translucent, about 5-7 min.
3. Finely chop garlic, add to onions. Add spices, salt and pepper, saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute to release flavor.
4. Add tomatoes with their juices and stock. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5. Stir in chiles, beans, hominy and chicken. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
6. Ladle soup into bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips and any garnishes that sound good.

Rainy Day Vegetable Soup

So many choices. Applesauce with cider, homemade birthday cake with sour cream chocolate frosting, butternut squash soup with leeks (a flop- not the way to start), then finally smashing successes. A simple vegetable soup that simmered into a thick, luscious tomato-y gravy that gently bathed a basic mix of carrot, onion, celery, red pepper, tomato, and cannellini beans. Not bad for a made up recipe based on emptying my fridge pre-Thanksgiving travel.

That's what I chose to start with, to introduce myself with. The kitchen is my favorite place-warm in winter, the action spot during family time, where I am most creative. From all the things I've made in the last weeks, it couldn't be any other way than a made up recipe pulled from what I wanted a soup to be on a rainy Sunday.

The other success? Sweet and salty cupcakes, with the idea ripped off from the superb sounding bakery in NYC Baked, and the execution infinitely easier with a mismash of recipes from trusted sources. TBP- to be posted.

So here goes the first of many.

Rainy Day Vegetable Soup

Serves 4

Olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, small dice

3 carrots, medium dice

3 stalks celery, medium dice

1 red bell pepper

3 cloves garlic

large pinch italian seasoning

salt & pepper

1 28oz can whole tomatoes

1 15oz can cannellini beans

1-1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Warm a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, in a medium sized saucepan. Once up to temperature, add onions, carrots, celery, and red pepper. They should sizzle gently, not browning, to soften for about 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add a pinch of salt to start the seasoning process.

Add garlic and herbs, stir, and heat until fragrant about 30-45 seconds. Add the juice from the can of tomatoes, then crush tomatoes by hand and add to pot. Drain and rinse the beans, add as well. Add chicken stock. Add more salt and pepper, then let simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings as needed. After about 30 minutes, check the liquid level- it is proper soup consistency? I added about a 1/2 cup of water, and let simmer for a few more minutes.

As with most soups, this is better the next day. I can imagine a minestrone version with some greens like chard or kale. I ate mine with some friends and warm whole grain baguette.