Ronald's hearty tortilla soup

It is really more of a Mexican chicken stew because it is so thick and hearty. I have never really made it using measurements.  I have always made it proportionally.  The proportions I am going to use requires an extra-large soup pot.  I usually have a lot of soup left over for other meals.  It will stay good in a refrigerator for little over a week. With the left overs, for just myself, I will heat up a bowl in the microwave or if for a larger group reheat on the stove just the amount I am going to eat for that meal.  The idea when cutting up the various items to put in the soup is to cut them so that you get a lot in each spoon full.  Not too small or too big.  The tougher ingredients are put in the pot 1^st to begin cooking since they require longer to cook.  I put the ingredients into the pot in the order in which I cut and prepare them. Not all at once.

Step one

3 medium / large chicken breasts with skin and bones, put Mexican Pollo Asado seasoning on all sides of the chicken breast, & Charbroil in the oven or cook on the outdoor BBQ grill.  *The object is to char the outside of each breast & not to cook it all the way through, it is the charred flavor that you are looking to achieve.  It is better to over char it than under char it.  Especially on the skin side of the breast (mostly black).  Set these aside until they are needed in the soup.

Step two

-          3 large white onions (chop medium to medium / small pieces and put in pot)

-          same proportion of carrots (chop medium and put in pot)

-          1 head of cauliflower, same proportion to onions (break in to medium pieces, chop the stalk in to medium pieces, and put in pot)

-          put water into the pot to just cover the vegetables, mix vegetable with a spoon, and put burner to medium high heat.

-          crumble 1 & a half Knor’s Chicken Bouillon Cubes (this brand is typically found in the Mexican food section of the grocery store)

-          add ½ tsp. of cumin and ½  tsp. of Mexican Oregano flakes(Italian oregano is also all right to use)

-          ad 1 & ½ tsp. of fresh chopped or pre-chopped garlic from a jar.

-          1 large Pascilla pepper (remove seeds, chop in to medium/small pieces, and mix into soup)

-          1 large red or yellow or orange bell pepper (remove seeds, chop in to medium pieces, and mix into soup) *Do not use a green Bell pepper.

-          3 to 4 green Mexican squash (cut in to medium chunks & mix into Soup) These squash are usually smaller than yellow squash. You want the same proportion as the 3 medium summer squash.  They are tougher than the yellow squash so I put them in 1^st.  You can also use zucchini squash, but I revise the order because they are more tender than the summer squash.

-          3 medium yellow summer squash (cut in to medium chunks & mix into soup).

-          add the three chicken breasts that you have previously charred. Push them down into the vegetables to further cook and flavor the soup.

-          additional water may be required at this time. If needed add enough water to just barely cover the vegetables and chicken.

-          add 1 16 Fl. Oz. can of chopped fire roasted tomatoes or two smaller cans (Muir or Hunt brands) It is Ok to use more than the 16 Fl. Oz.

-          Add about 1 & ½ cups or ¾ of a regular bottle of beer (a cheap brand like Budwiser works good) The alcohol brings out the sugars in the vegetables and the beer gives the soup a more full bodied flavor.  The alcohol will cook out by the time the soup is ready.

-          1 30 Net wt. Oz. can of White Hominy (Discard the fluid in the can, rinse thoroughly, and mix into the soup) Mexican style is best. The kernels are larger.  I use El Mexicano Brand.  Ideally, you want it to be all white and clean without any parts of the external kernel remaining.

-          add one large jar (about 24 Fl. Oz.) of Pace or Ortega Brand Chunky Salsa.  *Not Picante sauce.

-          1 large jar, 30 FL. Oz,, of Nopalitos (discard the fluid, pick out and discard any peppers or anything else used for flavor, cut the nopalitos in to half inch pieces, and mix into the soup) Nopalitos are cut and curred prickly pear cactus.  They look like french styled green beans in a jar.  They are found in the Mexican food section of the supermarket.

-          Turn the heat down to medium low or Low. The soup should be cooking slowly now. For about an hour until all the vegetables are tender.

Step Three

-          After about 20 to 30 minutes of cooking from the time you put in the last ingredients, take the chicken breast out of the soup. Most of the charred skin should have come off the breast and broken in to very small pieces in the soup by now it you charred the skin side of the chicken breast sufficiently.  If there are any fatty pieces of the skin left on the breast, discard them, debone the breasts, tare the chicken in to medium sized pieces (more stringy than chunky), and return it to the soup.  * Do not cut the chicken into chunks.  The whole cooking time for the soup should be between an hour to an hour and a half.

Step Four

-          For each bowl of soup to be served, place restaurant style tortilla chips in the bowl (a little heavier and harder chip are better), pour soup in the bowl, add avocado slices, and then sprinkle crumbled feta on top.  There is a Mexican cheese similar to Feta but it is salter and the flavor is not as good.  I would not recommend sour crème or any other cheeses put in the soup.  It would smother all of the unique flavors of the soup.  I am not sure what grocery stores that you have where you live, but I can get everything in the recipe at Winco.