Weekend Cooking...Chicken Tortilla Soup

The other day, I was off work and thinking what I should post for my Weekend Cooking...and what I would have for dinner. It was a gray, chilly day, with a bit of drizzle falling on and off. Damp and chilly...
The perfect day for some nice soup.
But what kind?

Well, I was reading Zite ( one of my favorite iPad apps) and saw a recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup. Oh, that would be nice.
Now, I have make Chicken Tortilla Soup in the past and I probably have a recipe, but I decided to Google it and after reading maybe a dozen recipes online, I set off to the supermarket with a plan in my mind. Take a bit from this recipe, a bit from that one. Whatever sounds good.
In fact, there are so many good things you might add to this soup the problem is knowing when to stop, before it become a mishmash.

Caite's Tortilla Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion chopped, about a cup
1 red bell pepper, chopped, about a cup
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. canned chipolatas in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 can Rotel brand tomatoes with chilies
4 cups chicken stock
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cooked boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
2 cups finely shredded cabbage.
2-3 Tbs. cornmeal, mixed in a little water

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4 corn tortillas, cut into ¼ wide strips
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/2 cup shredded cheese
chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot, add the onion and bell pepper and saute for about a minute. Add the garlic and then the spices and let bloom in the oil.
Add the chipolatas and cook for another minute, then the Rotel tomatoes with all the liquid, the chicken stock and the black beans. Bring to a boil and then reduce and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the shredded chicken, then the cornmeal slurry and stir well until the soup begins to thicken a bit. Let cook for another 10 minutes. Just before serving add the cabbage and stir in until just wilted.

The tortilla strips...you can fry them in a pan in a little oil until crispy or bake them in the oven. I went with the fried.
To serve, ladle soup in a bowl, top with some diced avocado, cheese, fresh cilantro and some tortilla strips. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

It was, if I do say so myself, excellent.
Perfect for a damp, chilly day.
Very flavorful and a bit spicy, but not too much. If you like things spicy, add more chipolatas in adobo sauce and if you like things very mild, add less...but I would not do away with it all together. It is quite hearty, a meal in itself, with a nice little corn taste from the cornmeal used to thicken it and that nice cheese melting into the soup. Yet the last minute toppings of the cilantro and avocado and that bit of lime juice give it a fresh clean taste, with a little crunch from the cabbage and the tortilla strips.
And you know what? It is even better the next day, but tastes just as fresh when you top it with the cilantro, avocado and tortilla strips.

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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