“My Name is Anne Marie and I Hoard the Tecolote Chiles” Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
Frying
- 1 package corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
- 1/4 cups avocado, canola or other high heat oil
- salt and chili powder, to taste
Recipe
- 3 large dried pecan-smoked New Mexico chiles from Tecolote Farm (or dried pasilla (negro), ancho or New Mexico chiles)
- 15 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white onion, sliced thinly
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoons masa flour
- 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 cups red and/or yellow bell peppers, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoons cumin, or to taste
- 1 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
- teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups baby spinach or Swiss chard leaves, packed
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- fried tortilla strips, cheddar cheese, avocado slices, fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Using tongs, turn the chiles over an open flame until they soften and char a bit. Let them cool, then stem, seed and break them into pieces.
- Place the chiles and the tomatoes with juice into a blender and blend well.
- In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic—stirring constantly until golden, around 6 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, transfer the onions and garlic to the blender and blend with the tomatoes and chiles until smooth.
- Return the pot to medium heat, add the blender mixture and stir constantly until it thickens—about 6 minutes. (Caution: The mixture will splatter and potentially burn you if not stirred continuously.)
- Add the broth and water and bring to a simmer. Ladle out a cup of the broth into a bowl and whisk in the masa until all lumps dissolve.
- Pour the masa mixture back into the pot and stir until incorporated.
- Add the carrots, bell peppers, cumin, chili powder and salt and bring back to a boil.
- Simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the carrots have reached your desired texture.
- Meanwhile, roast the corn kernels in a bit of olive oil in a cast-iron pan—stirring frequently until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. When the carrots are cooked, add the corn, black beans and spinach.
- Cook for 5 more minutes—tasting for salt and adding cayenne pepper if you like it spicy.
- Serve hot with your choice of garnishes above.
- For the tortillas: Pour about 1 inch of oil into a small frying pan set over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot but not smoking, add one-third of the tortilla strips and cook until crisp—about 2 or 3 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the strips to paper towels to drain.
- While still warm, sprinkle the strips with salt and chili powder and toss. Repeat with remaining strips.
