I'm sorry for the lack of posting recently. I was in Montreal for a weekend with family and before that, was getting turned around and back on my feet after this apartment thing. I have so much to post! I have to tell you all about my first week or so as a "vegetarian" and share with you some recipes I've made up/discovered.
I have to head to work pretty soon, so I'll stick with my adventures in cumin-tomato-cilantro-avocado land.
My brother for Christmas one year gave me the Williams-Sonoma cookbook and I instantly fell in love. I've made all kinds of recipes from this book and each one better than the last. This recipe is one I've made twice now, once with chicken breast and with nothing to blend the soup but a coffee grinder (tablespoon by miserable tablespoon), and second with some ground chicken and a magic bullet blender.
Williams-Sonoma Tortilla Soup with Chicken & Avocado
1/2 c. + 2 tbsp canola oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1 c. drained canned plum tomatoes
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
4 c. chicken stock
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces (or as much ground chicken as you feel like)
salt & pepper
4 corn tortillas
1 ancho chile, seeded (optional)
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
1/4 c. shredded jack cheese
2 tsp fresh lime juice (optional)
1. Fry onion, garlic and 2 tsp of cilantro in a frying pan over medium heat, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Combine onion mix and tomatoes in food processor. Blend until smooth.
3. Return mixture to frying pan and continue to cook in the other tbsp of oil. Add the cumin and cook until darkened, 5-6 minutes.
4. Transfer to a large saucepan over medium-low heat and add the stock. Cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer until they are just opaque, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Garnishes:
- cut tortillas into thin strips, and fry in 1/2 c. canola oil, barely 20-30 seconds until golden
- toast the chile in a dry frying pan until fragrant, around 7 minutes, shaking pan often so chile does not burn. cool, crumble and set aside.
6. To serve, ladle soup into warmed bowls. Top with tortilla strips, crumbled chile, remaining cilantro, avocado, cheese and lime juice. Serve immediately. (Image from www.williams-sonoma.com/recipes/tortilla-soup.html. You'll notice that the recipes are slightly different, so pick whichever variation you like best I suppose...cookbook and internet didn't do the same thing!)
This soup has a lovely fragrance, especially my portions, which are heavy on the cilantro. This soup keeps well in the fridge (without all the toppings on it of course) and I'd say the only downside to a bowl of this light southwestern gem is that preparing the toppings for a single bowl of soup can be time consuming. When I have this recipe on the go in my fridge I usually have a container of chopped cilantro, chopped avocado and shredded cheese at the ready. I often omit the tortillas since I don't always have time to clean up oil spatter.
Everyone hates leftovers. I had a lightbulb moment yesterday morning while deciding on breakfast. I had the idea for a bagel with cream cheese, then I wanted a bowl of this soup, then I wanted a poached egg on toast. I decided to combine all three for a yummy breakfast treat that is quick and easy if you have all the ingredients ready from your soup handy (or take a lazy morning and prepare them all!)
Southwest Bagel with Poached Egg and Cilantro
1/2 bagel, toasted
1 egg
2 tbsp salsa
1 tbsp shredded cheese
1 tbsp diced avocado
cilantro
1. While the bagel half is toasting, poach the egg:
- Get some water boiling in a medium saucepan. Add a sprinkling of salt and a tsp white vinegar. Once the water is boiling vigorously, turn down the heat to medium until just barely boiling. Using a slotted spoon, make a whirlpool in the centre of the boiling water. Gently slip the egg in (best to crack it in advance into a little bowl so you don't destroy the yolk). It will swirl around but should stay intact. After 10 seconds, use spoon to gently move the egg in the saucepan just to make sure it hasn't stuck to the bottom.
2. Top toasted bagel with half the cheese, then the salsa, then the avocado, then the remaining cheese.
3. After about 90 seconds of poaching, the egg should be ready. Carefully remove it from the water with the slotted spoon, gently shaking off any excess water. Top the bagel with the egg.
4. Garnish with as much cilantro as you want.
Enjoy :)
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