New Mexico Tortilla Soup

Don’t ya just love  soup simmering on the stove when the weather outside is cold and dreary?

The last week here in Florida has been just that! Granted, the temps are not in the minus catagory, but there is a chance of freezing temps during the evening hours which has the citrus farmers concerned. Luckily, the Captain and I live close enough to the Gulf that the temps stay a few degrees warmer.  And believe me, I need those few degrees warmer! 

The Sun is shining this morning, which is deceiving! I slid open the door to let Jesse James outside and got a brisk wake-up call of very cold air!  Even Jesse turned around and looked at me as if to say…”you really want me to go out in this cold weather?” I urged him on, the trooper that I am…  but I stayed safely inside the warmth of the house. “You are on your own” I cajoled…I usually go outside with him just to inhale the fresh air and admire nature…and the beginning of a new day.  Today, I was a coward! The warmth of my cup of hot tea was not going to be enough to allow me to enjoy nature for very long!

Whats that you ask?  Just what is the temp? 48 degrees! AND it is supposed to get down to 40 tonight!  Brrrrr…

I know,…..I have become spoiled to the warmer weather of Florida! However, as most of you know…I have paid my dues in cold, snowy, icy, windy, sleety, slushy, windy…did I say really windy?…well, it deserves a repeat! of cold weather!

I saw a cartoon the other day defending Southerners as to their intelligence and the caption said…We may be slow, but you don’t see us going North for the Winter! 🙂

Soooooo colder weather means soup weather! So lets get cooking! I am going to give you a recipe from New Mexico.

This is a wonderful soup that gets better each time it is reheated. Pork is the traditional meat for this soup, but you may use chicken or beef.  The longer it simmers, the better it tastes.

Pork Steak with Cumin, Adobo Powder, Garlic Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, Chipotle Powder

Spices tossed with Pork Steak

Browned Pork Steak

Cooking Vegetables

Chicken Stock, Beans, Chiles, Tomatoes, Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce Masa Mixed in Water

Garnish with your choice of garnishes…I used chopped red onion, sliced corn tortilla strips, sour cream, chopped green onion and topped it with a blue corn tortilla chip! Actually, the tortilla chip looks purple in the photo, but they really are blue and also some red chips on the side.

Printable Recipe follows below….

New Mexico Tortilla Soup

2014-01-17 22:29:31

A delicious tortilla soup that gets better each time it is heated up. Ingredients can vary to your preference.

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Ingredients

1. 2-4 pieces of pork steak diced in a small dice (you can substitute chicken)
2. 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3. 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (you can use chile powder)
4. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5. 1/4 teaspoon adobo powder (optional)
6. 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
7. 1-2 teaspoons cumin (your taste preference, one or two teaspoons)
8. salt to taste
9. 1 cup onion (small dice)
10. 1/4 cup each of small diced red, green and yellow bell pepper (you may use just one kind but it is prettier)
11. 1 Jalapeno pepper (diced, remove seeds)
12. 1/4 cup finely diced celery
13. 2-3 cloves garlic minced
14. 1 small can (7 ounces) of chipotle peppers (chopped) in adobo sauce
15. 1 small can (4.5 ounces) chopped green chiles
16. 1 can (15 ounce can) of diced tomatoes.
17. 32 ounces of chicken stock
18. 1 can (15 ounce) Ranch Style Beans including juice (you can substitute black beans, but drain them)
19. 1 can (15 ounce) whole hominy (you can substitute corn, but hominy is original to the soup)
20. 3 cups hot water
21. 2-3 Tablespoons Masa (or cornmeal) this is the thickener for the soup.

Instructions

1. Heat Oil in heavy pan.
2. Mix seasonings, cumin, chipotle powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and adobo powder.
3. Toss the seasonings over the diced pork steak, coating each piece.
4. Brown in heavy pot
5. Remove pork steak and set aside
6. Add chopped onions, bell peppers, jalapeno pepper, celery, garlic to the oil left in the pan from the pork steak.
7. Cook over medium high heat until soft.
8. Add the chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce from the can, the diced tomatoes, the chopped green chiles, Ranch Style Beans, hominy, chicken stock and water.
9. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
10. Stir Masa (or cornmeal) into 3 Tablespoons water.
11. Add to the soup and continue cooking for another 30 minutes or until desired consistency.

Notes

1. The Captain and I like our soup very spicy. If you want to tone it down, do not add the green chiles or cut back on the chipotle powder (chile powder) The Masa also works to tone down the spiciness as well as being a thickener.
2. If you don't have Masa, you may use cornmeal mixed with water.

By Kari

Me and My Captain https://meandmycaptain.com/