Yield: 3 quarts
Ingredients:
8 corn tortillas, julienned
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. coriander
1 bay leaf
2 cups white onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
6 cups vegetable stock(I used homemade)
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt
2 chicken breasts with bones and skin, roasted
1 cup raw goats milk cheddar cheese, grated
1 avocado
Instructions:
For the chicken:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Wash chicken breasts and pat dry. Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil on each breast. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
3. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 32-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the breast and the juices runs clear.
4. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones. Shred chicken and set aside.
For the soup:
1. In a large heavy duty stock pot, heat grapeseed oil. In several batches, cook half of the tortilla strips until crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
2. In the same pot, heat up the olive oil. Add the other half of the corn tortillas. After about a minute(you don’t want them crispy) add the chopped onions. Sweat the onions and tortillas together for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the red bell pepper and saute for 5 minutes
4. In a small bowl, combine the cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, coriander, and bay leaf. Add to the onion mixture and saute for 1 minute or until you smell the fragrance of the spices.
5. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
6. Add tomatoes, vegetable stock, and salt. bring to a boil.
7. Once boiled, simmer, uncovered for one hour.
8. Let cool slightly.
9. Using your blender, puree in several batches.
To assemble:
1. Place about a 1/4 cup of chicken in your soup bowl.
2. Ladle in soup.
3. Add some tortilla strips
4. Sprinkle generously with cheese.
5. Top it off with chopped avocado.
6. Store soup in the fridge for 3 days (if it lasts that long!).
- Recipe courtesy of Susan Salzman