Tortilla Soup
Date Completed: 3/28/2021
Last weekend we wanted to make tortilla soup, and the first version we found in my cookbooks came from the America’s Test Kitchen Twentieth Anniversary TV Show Cookbook.
In step one, the recipe tells you to cut corn tortillas into little strips and bake for 14 minutes. Turns out, they only need about half that time to get golden and crispy. I learned this after my first batch burned. After trying again these turned out great (and made a dangerous snack to have in the kitchen).
The soup itself starts to come together in step two as you bring chicken, broth, herbs and onions to a simmer. This actually calls for bone-in chicken which I typically do not buy. Luckily I found it easily at the store! These ingredients simmer until the chicken cooks. Once cooked you take the chicken out and strain the other ingredients out of the chicken broth.
Step three fascinated me and made me feel like one of those chefs on TV who talk about “building layers of flavor.” I pureed tomatoes, onions, jalapeño, and a chipotle chile in my mini food processor.
Side note: my mini food processor just barely allowed enough space for all these ingredients! I had to put in the onions a few pieces at a time.
Here’s where things get interesting. You FRY this pureed mixture in olive oil for 10 minutes. Yes, you fry a puree! Why? Depth of flavor, of course! Once it darkens in color you start adding back the broth and chicken to finish it out.
The garnishes include chopped avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, lime, and cilantro. I absolutely skipped the cilantro because I prefer my soup not to taste like hand soap.
Taste Report:
I have to say that all that flavor-layer-building work absolutely paid off! Wow - what a yummy soup! I can’t say enough how delicious this tastes. I found myself loving the avocado garnish so much. I went back to chop up more avocado halfway through my bowl. The crunch of the tortilla strips also added such wonderful texture!
The soup froze beautifully and reheated with even more flavor the second time around. I’d call that a huge win!
Mess Report:
I didn’t think the mess was too bad for this recipe because I cooked a lot of it in my dutch oven. My poor mini food processor worked hard, and I was very excited that it fit all of the ingredients for the puree.
I’ll definitely be making this one again!