Saturday, February 6, 2010

Tortilla Soup

It's cold outside still. There's supposed to be a blizzard blowing in this weekend. Time to hunker down with something hearty and avoid going outside. I don't really like brothy soups. That's why this tortilla soup has peppers, carrots, onions, chayote squash, beans, chicken, cilantro, green onions and jalapenos.

You will need:
4 chicken thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons masa harina
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves mined garlic
1/4 cup each diced red, green, yellow and poblano peppers
1/4 cup chayote squash
1/4 cup fresh shucked corn
1 can washed and drained black beans
3 tablespoons diced pork fat
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup cream
Garnish: cilantro, scallion, cotija cheese, tortilla chips

















Start by seasoning some chicken thighs with salt, pepper and cumin. Then dredge them in some masa harina or corn flour...




















...and saute them in vegetable oil until brown and crispy. Be careful these are delicious. I started with four chicken thighs but only two made it into the soup. I just ate the others with my hands. Let them cool, dice them and reserve them for later.

















While the chicken thighs are cooking, dice half a carrot and two small onions and mince two cloves of garlic.

















Then saute them in the oil and use the moisture coming off the vegetables to scrape up all the browned bits from the chicken. This is what chefs refer to when they talk about building flavors.

















Then add diced red, green, yellow and poblano peppers...

















...fresh shucked corn and chayote squash...

















...oregano, red chili flake, cumin and black beans. Everybody in the pool. Just heat through until the black beans start sticking to the bottom. Remove the vegetables and save them in a bowl.

















Add diced pork fat and render it until there's enough fat in the pan to make a roux with about two tablespoons of masa harina.

















While whisking, add three cups chicken stock and bring to a boil to thicken.

















Then add all of the reserved vegetables and beans, what's left of the chopped chicken and quarter cup of cream and bring to a simmer.

















Serve with fresh cilantro, scallions, cotija cheese and tortilla chips.

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