Chicken Tortilla Soup

Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 3 tablespoons corn oil
• salt
• cayenne pepper
• 4 corn tortillas, coarsely chopped
• 1 cooked chicken breast, cut into strips
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 tablespoon fresh epazote, chopped (or 1 t. fresh cilantro, chopped)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup fresh onion, pure'ed
• 3 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips and fried crisp
• 2 cups fresh tomatoes, pureed
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons canned tomatoes, pure'e
• 1 chicken carcass
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 cup onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon peppercorn
• 3/4 cup carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup celery, coarsely chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 5 cups water (to cover)

Recipe

• 1 for stock.
• 2 chop carcass into pieces.
• 3 in a large saucepan heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat.
• 4 add carcass and cook, stirring often, until well browned. ( i like to use the carcass of a roasted chicken, which i keep in my freezer for making stocks and soups)).
• 5 add remaining oil with onions,carrots and celery.
• 6 cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are golden brown; pour off oil.
• 7 add thyme,parsley,bay leaf and peppercorns.
• 8 stir to blend and add water to cover.
• 9 bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, skimming surface as necessary, until reduced to 4 cups.
• 10 line a bowl with an extra fine sieve(preferably a chinois) and pour in mixture, pushing solids with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.( a sieve lined with cheesecloth works great!).
• 11 discard solids and skim off surface fat.
• 12 refrigerate, tightly sealed, for no more than 2 days, or freeze in small batches for easy use for up to 3 months.
• 13 for soup.
• 14 heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• 15 saute tortillas with garlic and epazote (or cilantro) over medium heat until tortillas are soft.
• 16 add onion and fresh tomato puree and bring to a boil.
• 17 add cumin,chili powder,bay leaves,canned tomato pure'e and chicken stock.
• 18 bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to simmer.
• 19 add salt and cayenne pepper to taste and cook,stirring frequently, for 30 minutes.
• 20 skim fat from surface, if necessary.
• 21 strain and pour into warm soup bowls.
• 22 garnish each bowl with an equal portion of chicken breast,avocado shredded cheese, and crisp tortilla strips.
• 23 serve immediately.
• 24 soup may be prepared 1 day ahead and gently reheated before serving.