Hearty Tortilla Soup

Today was a horrible day. Coming home in near tears of frustration, I immediately jumped in the shower, put on the most comfortable, non-dress code compliant clothing I could find, and prepared my cooking space.

It was obvious that today had to be tortilla soup day.

Soup is one of the easiest things to make for the working girl, and let no one tell you otherwise. Unfortunately, about a month from now it would be a hellish affair, due to the July heat. On June 2nd, though, it's still cool enough for a girl to put on some 70s hair metal, take that as a reminder to pull back her hair, and make some damn good soup.

This recipe is modified VERY HEAVILY from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's, which can be found in Appetite for Reduction.

Since it requires a few fresh ingredients that I didn't have in the house, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from work to pick up a green bell pepper and two jalapenos. The recipe requires:

1 small onion, sliced thinly
2 jalapenos, diced as small as possible
1 green bell pepper, diced as small as possible
4 cloves garlic, minced
24oz crushed tomatoes
2-3 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 cup of crushed tortilla chips
1 tbs ground cumin
3 oz of Boca crumbles
1 cup frozen corn
2 tbs lime juice
A healthy dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt

Unlike in Moskowitz's recipe, I don't seed the jalapenos, or I'll only seed one. This eliminates the need for added red pepper flakes. Begin sautéing the jalapenos and green bell pepper; add the onions last, and cook until they are translucent. If you are anything like me, you will have a captive audience wondering why you can't stop coughing and crying due to the strength of the jalapenos. At least that audience is cute in my case.

Mom? Mom, what are you doing? This looks worrisome. Mom, are you okay?

Add the garlic and continue sautéing for another minute or so, or until you stop coughing from the jalapenos, whichever comes first. Add the tomatoes, fill the can with water, and then add the water too. Toss in 2-3 bouillon cubes. Add in the cumin and the tortilla chips and stir well before covering.

This recipe is a great use of stale tortilla chips. I had some leftover from when I had seven-layer dip-- this was back at the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, so they were quite a few months old.

While the soup is working itself to a boil, now is a good time to decide what to eat with it. I actually remembered to pick up some salad, so I assembled a butter lettuce salad with sunflower seeds, craisins, and grapes, drizzled over with peppercorn ranch dressing.

The soup has probably begun to boil now, so lower the heat a touch and add the frozen corn and Boca crumbles. Heat for a few more minutes while you wash dishes, continue getting your dinner plate ready, etc.

After about 4 minutes or so, the corn should still be crisp and fresh tasting, but cooked through. Add the lime juice, stir, salt to taste, and now you can eat it merrily. This soup is thick and hearty, with real texture to it, so it will make you nice and full. I don't have sour cream at the moment, but due to the heat of not seeding the peppers, a wise decision would be to pick some up as soon as possible. Otherwise, you can choose a milder pepper than a jalapeno.

Serving suggestion: Yogurt and a milk-based dressing for your salad will cool the heat of the jalapenos. Top the soup with more crushed tortilla chips and some sour cream or plain yogurt.

How many meals will it make?: 6-12. You may need to freeze half, or else you'll get sick of it.