Tortilla Soup

 

 I had an appointment with my Dentist this morning. Yesterday I found a bag of toffees and tried one to see if they were ok, or if I needed to throw them out . . . 

I ended up losing half of one of my molars . . . darn toffees . . . that's the last time I'll try to eat one of those! Clearly toffees are for the young!

   

 Anyways, it happened to be this molar of mine that had already been broken years ago, eating some tortilla chips, so it was only held together with pins and fillings . . . 

but I didn't want to lose it, coz well . . . a tooth is a tooth, and I want to keep as many of mine as I can for as long as I can!

   

 I was on the phone to the Dentist first thing this morning trying to get an emergency appointment. Thankfully they were able to fit me in! Whew! 

Even if it did mean that I spent most of the morning sitting on a chair in the waiting room waiting for a space . . . that's just how it goes. Beggers can't be choosers!

   

 Because there wasn't much tooth left above the gum line, it was quite an involved process. They ended up having to rebuild the tooth and my mouth is now only just coming unfrozen . . . 

thank goodness for the miracles of modern dentistry! It was a relatively painless process, however lengthy it was, but at least I still have my tooth . . .

   

 It did call for a softer supper for today though and so I decided to make a tasty tortilla soup. My husband usually likes thick soups . . . but he thought this was quite alright! 

 It is a broth, but a flavourful spicy one, chock full of strips of chicken, beans and corn. I love the garnish, although today I opted to leave the tortilla strips off of mine and just had oodles of sour cream and cheese. 

 You can squeeze a lime over top as well if you like a bit of tang, and I do!!! Delicious!!

   

  *Tortilla Soup* 

Serves 4 

Printable Recipe 

 This soup is quick to make, very flavourful, and surprisingly filling. It also freezes very well, minus the garnishes. 

 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced 

2 tsp olive oil 

1 tsp mild chili powder 

1/2 tsp oregano 

1 (14 ounce) tin of crushed tomatoes 

750ml of good quality chicken stock (3 cups) 

1 small tin of salad crisp corn niblets, drained 

1/2 of a 415g tin of black beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 cup) 

1 green chili pepper, trimmed, seeded and chopped 

a handful of fresh coriander, chopped (cilantro) 

1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces 

salt and black pepper to taste 

To Garnish: 

2 or 3 corn tortillas 

cooking oil 

shredded medium cheddar or jack cheese 

sour cream 

minced chives or spring onions 

 Place the oil in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and green chili. Cook and stir until softened. 

 Stir in the chili powder, oregano, tomatoes and broth. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the corn, beans, coriander and chicken. 

 Simmer for a further 10 minutes. 

 While the soup is cooking cut your tortillas into thin strips. Heat some oil in a large skillet and cook them a handful at a time. Scoop out and drain on paper toweling. Lightly season with salt. 

 Repeat until all your tortilla strips are cooked. 

 Ladle the hot soup into heated bowls. 

 Garnish each with some fried tortilla strips, a dollop of sour cream, some shredded cheese and a sprinkle of chives or spring onions. 

 Note: you can use crushed tortilla chips instead of the fried tortillas if you wish