Thursday, September 16, 2010

Tortilla Soup


I think I've found the best tortilla soup EVER.  And the Handyman thinks it is the best EVER. He even said the words "this is REALLY good soup."  He said it more than once!  That's a pretty good compliment since he usually rolls his eyes and sighs when I say "I'm making soup"  (although when I said I was having a tortilla soup showdown of my very own for Girlichef's year long Tortilla Soup Round-up, in her quest to find the perfect Tortilla Soup, he did ask me to space them out, since we ended up eating this particular Tortilla Soup 3 days in a row for dinner, lunch and eatwhateveryoucanfindbecauseI'mnotcookingtonight).

I love to make soup.  I think soup is one of the easiest meals you can make.  Even tho most times there are lots of chopping, dicing,  stirring, adding, waiting.....  but I enjoy all that.  I think I love to make soup because there are so FEW DISHES TO CLEAN UP.  It's a one pot meal.  I mean, what are a few knives and a cutting board and a measuring cup or two?  It's one pot....a couple of bowls and a couple of spoons, some nice warm homemade bread (rolls, muffins, cornbread, etc) with real butter, a glass of wine (or whatever you enjoy with your soup), and  you have heaven on earth.

I meandered away from my main subject yet again.... The Best Tortilla Soup EVER!  And here is where I inject a secret.  I don't think I've ever had tortilla soup before.  Shhhhh......don't tell Heather....shhhhhhh.
Seriously tho, this soup was really, really, really good.  I could have eaten it for 3 more days... mmmm,mmmm good. (and it wasn't even Campbells').
Having said that.....I think this is a replica of "Houston's" Tortilla soup.  I think it's very well known....Houston's soup that is..... Except by me, who never has had Tortilla Soup and am now in love with Tortilla Soup.

Just forgive me if I'm using a recipe that is KNOWN worldwide as a good Tortilla Soup  (I can hear you all now saying  ---geez, she's original, sheesh!")   But don't say it. PLEASE.  I am new to the Tortilla Soup World, and I carpetbagged on a good thing.  Is ignorance bliss?  I thought so, until I googled Houston's Tortilla Soup and saw how popular it was.

You know what?  Never mind....I don't care, cuz this soup is really good.  I have wide shoulders, I can take being shunned  (well....really I can't.  Please, please dont' shun me,) laughed at behind my back  (but don't do that either please--I'm very sensitive you know.)  Just consider me an infant in the  Tortilla Soup world.
And then, if you've never tried  "Houston's Tortilla Soup" do it soon, because this is... So. Damn. Good.

I have 4 more recipes to try, so stay tuned as I join Heather at Girlichef, in her quest for the perfect tortilla soup.
And then, I'm just going to keep going and try all your recipes for this soup too. And maybe even open a restaurant called "The Tortilla Soup  Factory" and serve all your soups.   Hmmm....well, okay, I'm not going to do that, but it wouldn't it be fun? 



My Recipe for Houston's Tortilla Soup

1  2 1/2 lb chicken, cut up, skin removed
2 ribs of celery cut into chunks
1 med. onion-quarterd
2 sprigs parsley
2 Tbs. chicken soup base
1 tsp lemon pepper  (aha!  I didn't have any lemon pepper, so I made my own using lemon zest and black pepper)
1 large clove garlic-minced

Combine all of the above in a stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer and cook for one hour until chicken is tender and meat falls from the bones.  Strain and reserve broth. Tear meat off the bone and set aside.

1 1/2 pounds potatoes
1 lg can creamed corn
1 10oz can of Rotel
1 1/2 cups half and half
cilantro
cheddar cheese
jack cheese
corn tortilla
avocado
black olives
sour cream

In 4 cups of the reserved broth, boil about 1 1/2 pounds peeled potatoes   (I had a 10lb-bag....the math was horrible for me ) until tender.  Remove from  heat.  Mash up the potatoes in the broth and add;  1 large can of creamed corn, 1 10oz can of Rotel tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups half and half, 2-4 minced Tbs of cilantro.
Add reserved stock and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
Before serving stir in 1 cup of both cheddar and jack cheese, and the chicken, 4-6 corn tortillas which have been cut into strips. Cook until cheese is melted.
Ladle into bowls--garnish with a dollop of sour cream, chunks of avocado dipped in lemon juice, slices of black olives and tortilla strips that have been deep fried.

I am sending this to Heather for her Tortilla Soup Challenge   and to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sundays.

8 comments:

Karen said...

I've only made chick tort soup once and it was Ina's recipe... she calls it Mexican Chicken Soup. It was really good, but I like the idea of the cream base instead of tomato. I'm going to give this one a try. I love soup weather... except... they're predicting snow showers tomorrow here. :( If winter starts this early, I might not make it through to next summer LOL

bermudaonion said...

I love soup,too, and don't think I've ever had tortilla soup. It sounds delicious though. I wouldn't want to make the tortilla strips and I've never been able to find them around here.

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness Debbie, this soup does look and sound absolutely amazing! I have a recipe for tortilla soup that I keep meaning to make for Heather but just haven't got round to it yet. I don't even want to make mine now because yours is way better, I already know. I think I'll just make yours, lol!

Pam said...

This looks soooo delicious! It's one of my favorite soups but I've never tried making it. Now you are forcing me too! ;) Thanks for the great recipe!

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

Oh, you're so funny LOL!! I'm a soup kinda gal too but I think I make as big a mess with soup as anything else! I'm just a messy cook I guess. I do like to make a big pot of soup and bag it for the freezer for another day.

I'm betting your Handyman would like the 7 can taco soup too because it is SOOOOOOO good. But then that might get you on another quest since everybody does it a little bit different hehehe! Have a great weekend!!

Julie said...

If you open a restaurant like that, I'll be there. This sounds super :)

Heather S-G said...

Oh my gosh, Debbie...I just saw this. Didn't realize you'd finished and linked up or I would've been by sooner!! I love this version...so different from any of the others I've tried so far. Fabulous! I'm so excited that you're joining me on my quest...and maybe I'll open up a sister restaurant here ;) Awesome!

Deb in Hawaii said...

This looks like such a creamy, delicious take on tortilla soup--I love it. Thanks for sending it to Souper Sundays. ;-)

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