So, this blog's theme is green chiles. I've had a many year love affair with the delicious green fruits (yes, fruits!). Scott went to college (the second time around) at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and was introduced to and fell in love with green chiles. When we started dating, despite my initial leeriness because of my spice sensitivity, I fell in love with green chiles as well. There is nothing like a delicious, roasted, genuine Hatch, NM green chile. It's got an earthy roasted taste that I haven't found in any other chile. Get the real deal! And no, the cans don't count. If you're sensitive to chiles, get the mild kind. I found, over time, that my body has acclimatized an now I like them quite spicy! Alas, they are a bit difficult to find out here in CA. So it surprised the heck out of me when I found the real deal in a grocery store called Sprouts while down in Southern California. This got Scott to thinking that perhaps they would have green chiles up here in Nor Cal. He finally found them at a Sprouts grocery store in Saratoga and bought a case with over 200 chiles for $17!! Such a steal! We usually get our chiles from the UNM alumni roast, where they are $45 for 10 lbs. We had maybe about 30 lbs for $17! Wahoo! Of course, that meant that Scott did a whole bunch of home roasting (no chile drum for us), but it was totally worth it. And thus the green chile theme!
Tortilla soup (from Authentic Southwestern Cooking by Lynn Nusom)
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large, ripe, red tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 cups chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned, cooked, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 green chile, seeded and diced (we put in more than one!)
2 cups tortilla chips
6 tbsp. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 cup black olives, sliced
Procedure:
1) Saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil until the onion is soft. Spoon the onion and garlic into a blender with the tomatoes, 1 cup of chicken stock, and cilantro and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, stir in the rest of the chicken stock, cooked chicken, salt, black pepper, and green chile and cook over medium heat until heated through.
2) Coarsely crumble the tortilla chips into the bottoms of individual soup bowls, pour the soup over the chips, sprinkle the cheese and olives on top, and serve at once.
The result? Cheesy, crunchy spicy deliciousness. This is one of my favorite soups in the whole world to have (and that's saying a lot!). Perfect for a cold, autumny day. Enjoy!
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| Tortilla soup |
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