Tortilla Soup <yummy!>
*Note - You can use the chicken stock recipe for with most anything. I usually poach my chicken pieces in this stock for 30 minutes, shred, add veggies and rice, simmer for 45 minutes and there ya go; chicken-veggie soup
Stock
1 pkg. whole cut up chicken w/giblets
1 medium onion
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Rinse chicken pieces and set aside
Discard the liver from giblets
Hack up neck and wings into chunks
Cut onion into chunks (it is not necessary to remove the peel)
Heat olive oil in large pot. Add hacked up pieces, giblets and onion Cook on med-high heat for approx. 5 minutes, or until chicken pieces and onion looses its raw colour
Reduce heat to low, cover pot and allow pot to simmer for 20 minutes
Add 12 cups hot water, bay leaves, salt and set aside chicken pieces
Increase heat to med-high until just beginning to bubble. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove chicken pieces from pot, set aside to cool.
Pour contents of pot thru a fine wire mesh strainer to remove all of the hacked up pieces, giblets and onion.
Skim oil from top.
Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced and minced
1 (4 oz. can) diced green chili
5-6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt (do not add salt if you are using a canned lo-sodium broth)
1/4 cup Masa Instant Corn Mix
Simmer stock on lowest heat setting.
Strip meat from the cooled chicken and shred into bite size pieces, adding them to the stock along with the can of diced green chili.
Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onion and red pepper, cooking for 2-3 minutes or until onion becomes slightly transparent. Add minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to prevent garlic from burning. Add entire contents to stock. Allow to simmer 5-10 minutes to blend flavors.
Add ground cumin, ground cayenne pepper, dried oregano and salt. Allow to simmer for another 5-10 minutes to blend flavors.
Add Masa Instant Corn Mix, stirring until blended in. Add chopped tomatoes and cilantro. Stir briefly, cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
TOPPINGS
Fried Tortilla Strips
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Chopped Avocado
Tortilla Strips
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
Olive oil
Cut tortillas into 1/2 X 2-inch strips. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet. Fry strips in batches until golden, adding more oil as needed. Drain on paper towels.
To Serve
Ladle hot soup into bowls, top with fried tortilla strips, Mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with chopped avocado.