Years ago, shortly after we married, Queen Debbie and I took the family on a winter vacation to Lake of the Ozarks. We rented a timeshare, way before VRBO or any of those other short-term rental propositions were created. We made a grocery run and she found a packaged tortilla soup mix. With the stuff she added, that had to be the best soup I've ever eaten. I'm not a soup guy. Not much on mostly drinking supper, but that soup was a meal. Afterwards, she replicated it, changed it up, added things, and basically became creative with it. While we still love that soup, we've found a recipe that's pretty much no-fail. We'll make this recipe four or five times a year and each time, we'll remember that very first one, in a condo, on the shores of a beautiful Missouri lake.
Ingredients:
Chicken Stock (one box) Chicken (Debbie boils a whole chicken, we pick the meat off the bones)
Black beans (we buy canned ones)
Olive oil (about two tablespoons)
Green onions (one bunch, chopped)
Fresh garlic
Three Roma tomatoes, diced
Corn (we use whole corn, canned)
Jalapenos (we take the seeds out and chop the peppers)
Heavy cream
Juice from 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
If you like other spices, add some.
Add-ons, after the soup:
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheese (your favorite)
Sour cream
Ripe avocado
Heat olive oil in a big pan (medium heat) and add the onions, saute for 3-5 minutes, add jalapenos for another minute, then add crushed garlic, four cloves and cook for one more minute.
Add chicken broth, corn, beans, tomatoes, and a cup of crushed tortilla chips. If you want a little bite to the soup, add some chili powder or your favorite spices here. Add chicken, broken up into small pieces.
Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, add cream to get the texture you want.
Serve with the add-ons for a nice, thick meal.
