Mexican Tortilla Soup

All of the flavours of a Mexican and a Tex-Mex meal make this hearty soup a delicious appetizer or entree, depending on how many toppings you`re using. It has an incredible balance of flavours with savoury, spicy, sour and sweet notes, and it is incredibly filling.

This step is fully optional, you can use the ingredients in their raw form as well, but fire roasting them is a way to introduce smoky flavours and tone down the heat just a little bit. To fire roast a whole red pepper and 2 whole jalapenos, you will need a barbecue (on full heat) or an open flame with a rack on top. This can also easily be done on a gas range. Place the peppers on the flame and turn them every 3 minutes or so until all the sides are fully charred and the flesh on the inside is a bit more tender. Press the pepper with the tongs that you are using to flip them and if they seem softer than how they started, that means they have slightly cooked on the inside. Make sure the skin is mostly charred on all sides, once you remove the burnt skin, the flesh will be left with a smoky delicious flavour.

Place the peppers on a plate and seal with plastic wrap while still warm. The steam will make it easier to peel off the skin off the peppers. Once they`ve cooled/steamed for 20 minutes, peel the burnt skin off with your hand or a kitchen towel. Then discard the inside of the peppers and the stem. Chop them into medium pieces.

Small dice one onion and 1 peeled carrot, cut the kernels off the corn cob and mince 4 garlic cloves.

In a pressure pot, use sauté mode to cook your aromatics: the chopped onion, carrot, corn, garlic, and the roasted peppers with ½ teaspoon each of dry oregano, ground cumin and chili powder. Sauté them for about 4 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup of water, 3 whole chicken breasts 1 ½ tablespoon of canned chipotle peppers, 1 can of diced tomatoes and 3 corn tortillas (quartered). Season with a dash of salt and close the pot, pressure cook it for 40 minutes.

Once ready, remove the chicken breasts from the soup and shred them with two forks in a large bowl. Add them back into the soup.

Serve each bowl with a generous topping of shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, lime, fresh avocado slices and fresh jalapenos (optional).

Mexican Tortilla Soup

Servings: 4-6

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 Onion

1 Carrot

1 Corn (cut off the cob)

1 Red Pepper

2 Jalapenos

4 Garlic Cloves

4 Cups Chicken Stock

1 Cup Water

½ tsp Ground Cumin

½ tsp Chili Powder

½ tsp Dried Oregano

3 Corn Tortillas

28oz Can Diced Tomatoes

3 Chicken Breasts

1 ½ Tbsp Canned Chipotle (1 Chili + Sauce)

Tortilla Chips

1 Avocado

1 Lime

Sour Cream

Fresh Jalapeno (optional)

1-2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Step-by-Step

1.       Fire roast a whole red pepper and 2 whole jalapenos. On an open flame or barbecue, char the peppers on all sides, until the inside is tender and the skin is fully charred. Place them in a bowl sealed with plastic wrap and let them cool for 20 minutes. Once partly cooled, rub the burnt skin off with your hands or a dish towel. Discard the stem and insides and medium dice the cooked peppers.

2.       In the pressure pot, sauté diced onion, carrot, red pepper, jalapenos, spices, corn kernels and grated garlic for about 4 minutes.

3.       Add chicken stock, water, corn tortillas (quartered), diced tomatoes, whole chicken breasts and chipotles. Season with salt to taste, close the lid and pressure cook it for 40 minutes.

4.       Once ready, remove the chicken breasts and shred them with a fork. Add them back to the pot, adjust your salt seasoning and serve.

5.       Top it with sliced avocado, shredded cheddar, sour cream, chips and lime.