Mmmmm...Tortilla Soup

Sometimes, partly in order to keep us 'in tune' with things Mexican, I'll cook something that reminds us of our time down south. These meals are seldom, if ever, authentic, partly due to the lack of good fresh Mexican ingredients in Canadian supermarkets, but they have enough of the flavour of the real thing to keep us salivating for the true Mexican cooking to come.

This recipe is one I got from my friend Judy E., and which I tweaked a little to end up with the version we use quite regularly. It does freeze, which is a good thing because it makes a fair batch (certainly 2 meals worth for Rob and I) and it's a very hearty, one-bowl meal. Although hearty, we don't just eat it in the winter, but like Mexicans, or most South Americans, enjoy it in late summer evenings as well. Be warned, it is made of the simplest of items found in the supermarket, not fresh from-scratch ingredients at all, but it is yummy, and who doesn't like simple?

Judy's Tortilla Soup

1 jar salsa. (I use medium, I have used mild. Use hot at your
own peril.)
1 can corn. Do not use creamed corn.
1 litre (or quart) of chicken broth. (Here I do use my own broth, because I like making broth. Judy uses the carton kind.)
1 can black beans, drained (Rob isn't fussy on black beans, so I used mixed beans. I also leave the beans out in the summer, when I want a soup that's a little less hearty. It is still enough for a dinner on its own. )
shredded chicken (I cook extra chicken, like an extra thigh, when we
have chicken, and freeze it to make this soup later. You could make chicken just for this soup, because it's that good, but that adds to the work.)

Ok. So now you combine the jar of salsa, the beans, the stock and the corn, and heat it all through. Let it simmer a bit to combine the flavours. Add lots of shredded chicken, in bits big enough to taste, but small enough for your spoon.

Ladle into bowls, and add some corn chips, slightly broken up doritos or other corn-based tortilla chips. Press them into the soup with the back of your spoon.

Add a nice handful of shredded cheese. If you feel like splurging for the texmex mixed stuff, it's very good. Otherwise, just grate some cheddar or other cheese. There's plenty of zip in the salsa and the corn chips, if you get the flavoured ones.

Now that's Judy's recipe, and it's a good, comfort food one. Here's how I tweaked it:


Into the soup, before you ladle it, squeeze the juice of one lime. Pour into the bowl, and stir in a good helping of chopped fresh cilantro. Then add the tortilla chips and the cheese.

If you want to freeze it, do so before the lime, cilantro, chips and cheese. Save those ingredients for the night you are going to eat your soup, to keep the flavours strong and separate.

Like I said, it's not fancy, or even really authentic. But it sure tastes good, and you feel a little Mexican when you eat it.