Looking for a good "tortilla soup" recipe. Got one?

I have lived in Mexico for over 30 years. I make my tortilla soup with the beef stock.that is made by boiling a good cut of beef you can shred easily into strips with some garlic, onion and laurel leaves. Mind you, do not add the meat to the soup, you can use it to prepare something else, but not tortilla soup.

Cut some corn tortillas into strips and fry them in some oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

I also roast tomatoes over an open flame just enough to blister the skin off, and then you remove it entirely. Cut the tomato in half and scoop out the seeds, then place the tomatoes in a blender, with some salt and some chipotle peppers. You can get the peppers canned, but the label must read chiles chipotles adobados, they are a brick red color and you must be careful with the amount you use because they are really hot. Try a little at a time until you get it right. In a skillet with some oil, cook some onions cut into half moons, until they are transparent. Then add the tomato, salt and chile blend. Add the stock. Check for salt, let it simmer and boil for a few minutes.

Serve some of the soup into a bowl. Add the tortilla strips, slices of fresh avocado, cheese, pork rinds, cream, and some strips of dried guajillo or ancho pepper. This pepper is not hot, it just adds color and a delicious taste.

I use an entire onion and like two or three tomatoes plus some liquid from the chipotle peppers, because although I love the taste, I am very careful not to overdo it.

This is a bona fide Mexican recipe. I hope you like it.

Title: TORTILLA SOUP

Categories: Soups, Mexican, Usenet

Yield: 4 servings

12 Corn tortillas

2 c Tomato sauce

-(2 standard cans)

1/4 c Onion, chopped

Pork rinds, crushed

Mozzarella cheese,

-chopped

Avocado, chopped

Oil for frying

Cut the tortillas into strips (about 1 inch wide). Fry the

tortillas in the oil until golden brown and crispy. Dry them in a

paper towel and add a little salt.

To make the soup: In a medium kettle saute the onions in a bit of

oil until they become translucent. Mix about 2 cups of water with the

tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Set aside. Add salt and pepper to

taste.

To serve: pour the soup into 4 soup bowls. Put some tortilla

strips in each bowl. Bring them to the table along with the cheese,

pork rinds and avocado. Each person adds the rest to his/her soup to

their taste. You can add some tabasco sauce to the soup to make it hot

or use any cheese that will melt when added to the soup.

Time: 10 minutes

Precision: no need to measure.

Start with a very good chicken stock. A broth-based soup is only as good as the broth! This is my own preferred recipe - maybe not completely authentic, but definitely good. I've lived in Texas for many years, so I know what true sopa de tortilla should taste like.

9-10 cups of chicken stock

3 chicken breasts (or about a pound of boneless chicken of your choice)

2 large bunches of fresh cilantro

1 small can chipotle puree (or chipotle adobados)

1 can of sweet, unsalted corn

1 can of whole black beans

1 bell pepper, any color, chopped

ground cumin or fajita spice (which contains cumin)

cracked black pepper

4-5 medium sized limes

1 medium sized purple/red onion

shredded jack cheese

tortilla chips (I like a thicker chip for this)

2 avocados

Sprinkle the chicken with black pepper and cumin. Using a large soup kettle, poach the chicken in 1-2 cups of chicken stock along with the bell pepper and about 1/2 a bunch of cilantro. Remove the cooked chicken and set it aside. Strain the poaching stock and discard the veggies. If the poaching stock is not too cloudy, return it to the pot. Add the remaining 8-9 cups of stock to the pot, heat to a simmer uncovered. Shred the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Drain the corn. Drain and rinse the black beans. Add the shredded chicken, corn, and beans to the pot. Chop all the remaining cilantro, and add about half of it to the pot; set aside the rest for garnish. Add chipotle puree by tablespoons, stirring well and tasting after each addition, until your desired degree of spice is reached. Allow to simmer while you prepare the rest of the garnishes. Finely mince the onion, dice the avocado into bite-size chunks, and slice the limes into wedges.

Portion the soup into generous bowls. Add garnishes liberally and in order: squeeze of lime, crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, avocado, onion, and cilantro. Serve with additional chips, lime wedges, and chipotle on the side.

email me and i will give you a really good taco soup recipe.....

Try this http://www.tbm.org/tortilla_soup.htm

http://walking.about.com/od/lunchrecipes/r/tortill...

Tortilla Soup like Cracker Barrel's®

Tex-Mex soup loaded with cilantro, tomatoes, and cumin

served with chicken, tortilla strips, cheese, and avocado.

1 bunch cilantro – stems trimmed, washed

4 cloves garlic - peeled

1 sm. onion - chopped

2 serrano peppers – tops removed

10 oz. can Ro*Tel® tomatoes and chilies

3 quarts (12 cups) chicken stock

8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 - 3 tsp. ground cumin

1 - 2 tsp. salt

2 Tbls. cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water

approx. 20 sm. corn tortillas - cut into thin strips

vegetable oil OR peanut oil – for frying

2 cups shredded grilled OR poached chicken breast meat

1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 avocados - peeled, pitted, sliced

Make it easy & fast!

-In a blender or food processor, puree cilantro, garlic, onion, and peppers with Ro*Tel; pour into a large pot.

-Add chicken stock, tomato sauce, cumin, and salt to pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.

-Stir cornstarch/water mixture into pot and continue heating over low heat, stirring occasionally.

-Deep-fry tortilla strips in small batches in 350 degree oil until crisp. Remove to a cooling rack to drain. Place a handful of fried tortillas into each serving bowl.

-Divide chicken into serving bowls, placing on top of tortilla strips.

-Pour soup into bowls, then sprinkle tops with cheese.

-Garnish with 2 - 3 avocado slices.

Chicken Cheese Tortilla Soup

like Applebee's®

Spicy soup with chicken, cheese, and vegetables

is topped with crispy tortilla strips.

(10) 6" corn tortillas - cut into 1/4" thick strips

1 lrg. onion - minced

2 cloves garlic - minced

2 Tbls. vegetable oil OR olive oil

15 oz. can tomato puree

4 cups chicken broth

up to 1/2 cup hot sauce - to taste

1/2 med. green bell pepper - seeded, minced, optional

1 Tbls. minced jalapeno pepper - optional

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chili powder - optional

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour mixed with 1/2 cup water

1 lb. boneless, skinless cooked chicken - cubed

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sour cream - low-fat okay

8 oz. process cheese food (Velveeta®) - cubed, low-fat okay

1 Tbls. chopped fresh cilantro - for garnish, optional

Deep-fry tortilla strips in 350 degree oil OR spray with non-stick cooking spray and bake in a 400 degree oven until crisp; lightly salt if desired; set aside.

-In a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté onions and garlic in oil until soft.

-Add the next 10 ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

-Whisk flour/water mixture into soup.

-Bring contents of pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Add chicken to pot and continue to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Add cream, sour cream, and cheese to pot; stir until cheese has melted.

-Pour soup into bowls, pile tortilla strips into a "haystack" shape on top of the soup, garnish with cilantro.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

like Max and Erma’s®

1/4 cup butter OR margarine

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

8 oz. Velveeta process cheese food - cubed

10 oz. can Ro*Tel® tomatoes and chilies

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

salt and pepper – to taste

flour tortillas – as needed, about 4 - 6

shredded Colby Jack cheese OR Mexican blend cheese – as needed

-In a pot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

-Slowly whisk in small amounts of chicken broth at a time, then whisk in milk.

-Reduce heat to low and stir in Velveeta cubes; stir until melted.

-Stir in Ro*Tel, chicken, and spices.

-Once soup is heated through, it is ready to serve at this point. However, if you wish to make tortilla strips, it can sit over low heat while they are made. Stir the soup occasionally.

-For tortilla strips, cut tortillas into strips and deep-fry in 350 degree vegetable or peanut oil until golden, then drain on cooling racks.

-Spoon a ladleful of soup into a bowl, add a handful of shredded cheese, then spoon another ladleful of soup over cheese. Sprinkle tortilla strips over top. Repeat for remaining servings.

Notes: If you want to save a lot of time, use crumbled tortilla chips instead of tortilla strips. As a substitute for Ro*Tel, you can use 1 1/2 cups of salsa. Spiciness can be easily adjusted by using spicy Ro*Tel or salsa and/or adding cayenne pepper to the soup.