Soup and shameless plug.

First the plug:
I'm new to the world of sewing and fabrics and have skulked around this lady's blog for sometime now. Such a cute, happy, talented person, I almost stopped reading her blog as I felt less and less likely to ever be like her someday! It makes it even harder to not be jealous of her obvious talents, success, and overall joie de vivre, somehow more especially since she's a local gal. But I thought I'd fess up my envies and come clean, swallow it and go see her here this weekend for a book signing of her very first publication.

Now the soup:
She asked for it, and with a prize involved, how could one not participate? I too adore making soup, stews, chili, tagines, bourguignons... anything that simmers awhile, giving you time to crank out some fresh brioche, cornbread, or tortillas (if you're industrious).

Here's my favorite, though always-changing,

Amalgamated Tortilla Soup.

Boil, 20-25 minutes:
1 whole cut-up chicken + enough water to cover it (2-2.5 gallons or so)
2-4 bay leaves
salt
Remove chicken and cool. Skim scum off broth.

Chop:
1-2 yellow or white onions
3-5 cloves garlic
1 bunch of cilantro leaves

Slice:
6 pasilla (or whatever you can find fresh) chiles, stemmed and seeded, into long strips
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded

Purchase:
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 box chicken broth
avocados
queso fresco (Mexican white cheese)
crema mexicana (Mexican table cream)
1 lime
corn tortillas

Fry:
12-15 corn tortillas, sliced into strips or squares, til crispy & golden; drain on paper towels
6-7 whole tortillas, prepared the same as the sliced

*other additions to try if desired:
1 1/2 c. fresh corn kernels
1 c. cooked squash
1 c. cooked pinto beans

While chicken is cooling, prepare tortillas. In small amount of oil left in the pan, toss in chiles for 10-15 seconds and remove quickly to paper towels. Cook onions and garlic the same way, until just softened, only 5-10 minutes maximum. De-skin, de-bone, and shred chicken; season with salt and pepper. In pot of broth, add cumin to taste, and bring to a rolling boil. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, desired amounts of chiles and jalapeño, and torn-up whole tortillas. Reduce broth by about 2 inches, or for about an hour. Add boxed chicken broth and chicken; simmer well. Check seasoning. Reduce further if too watery and more stew-like texture is desired. Serve hot, garnishing with the fried tortilla strips, avocado, chile strips, jalapeño, queso fresco, and a swirl of crema. Squeeze a lime wedge over top.

This could be made vegetarian, though if it were vegan with none of the cheese... I wouldn't even bother! But that's just me. These regional dairy products I've found in certain Publix grocery stores as well as an awesome Mexican grocery on Nolensville Road. They also have insanely good tortillas.