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Thursday, April 5, 2012

Chilied Tortilla Soup w/ Kale

RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! 

{Say it with me now.}

RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! 

Yes.  It's true.  For the next six months we will be cooking with my guru.  The master.  The genius behind the best (in my opinion) Mexican food in the world.  The genie I learned so many tricks and methods and secrets to the food that I nourish my family with.  I may be a little excited about this fact.  I won't deny it.  I mean, I've been learning from and cooking with Rick for at least 13 years now, but in the hustle-bustle of normal life, I don't always get to cook with him as much as I'd like to.  But now I have an excuse a reason to spend time with him weekly.  And that makes me happy.  And believe me, it makes whole fam dam happy, as well.  We ♥ Rick.  And I ♥ Cooking Clubs

So. Where to begin?  DUH!  With Tortilla Soup, of course!  You may remember my quest.  And the fact that my personal favorite Tortilla Soup is adapted from a Rick Bayless recipe.  Maybe you're wondering why I haven't posted any more versions since my "results post"?  It's simple really.  I was busy enjoying the best versions of those I tried over the year.  Okay, mostly just my favorite version.  Because I can't get enough.  But now's the time.  I decided that since I had a beautiful bunch of lacinato kale sitting there looking pretty, I'd make a Tortilla Soup recipe of Rick's that I've been meaning to try.  It actually calls for Swiss Chard, but since I'm a lover of kale, I figured it would substitute well.  And it did.  Very well.  Not your typical Tortilla Soup...and not enough to give me a new favorite...but the earthiness of the kale added an unexpected layer of comfort that I enjoyed.  

Chilied Tortilla Soup w/ Kale

by Heather Schmitt-GonzƔlez
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Keywords: simmer soup/stew vegetarian tortillas kale chiles Mexican

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
  • ~1 Tbs. vegetable oil
  • ~1½ oz. pasilla chiles, stemmed & seeded
  • 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 1 med-large ripe tomato
  • 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
  • 6 c. chicken stock (or use rich vegetable stock to keep vegetarian)
  • salt
  • ~4 c. loosely packed lacinato kale "ribbons"
garnish
  • fried corn tortilla strips
  • lime wedges
  • queso fresco, cubed
Instructions
Use kitchen scissor to cut the chiles into ~1" squares. Heat oil over medium-low and fry chile squares very quickly to toast, ~3-4 seconds. Remove and drain on paper towels immediately. Set ⅔ of the chiles aside to use as garnish (they'll be crunchy -- like chile chips!).

Put remaining ⅓ of chiles in small bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to sit and rehydrate for ~30 minutes. Drain.

While chiles are soaking, roast the unpeeled garlic on an ungreased comal or griddle, over medium heat. Turn occasionally, until blackened in spots and soft, ~15 minutes. Cool a bit and slip off the papery skins.

Roast the tomato on a baking sheet under a broiler until blackened and blistered all around. Cool a bit, then peel. Place the peeled tomato and any collected juices in the jar of a blender along with the garlic and rehydrated chiles. Add 1 cup of the stock/broth and process until smooth.

Heat 1 Tbs. of oil (I use the oil from frying the chiles) in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add onion and sautƩ until a deep, golden brown, ~10 minutes. Raise the temperature under the pot to medium-high. Pour the mixture in the blender through a strainer and into the pot carefully, being sure to push out as many of the juices as you can. Stir for a while as the mixture thickens and darkens. Mix in the remaining 5 cups of stock/broth (pour it into the blender jar and swirl first to get all of the good stuff out) and simmer uncovered over medium-low for ~30 minutes. Taste and season with salt, if needed.

Add the ribbons of kale to the pot and cook for 5 minutes or so. Ladle into warm bowls to serve and pass the tortilla strips, queso fresco cubes, and fried chiles to garnish as well as the lime wedges for squeezing.

adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen
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If you're a Rick Bayless fan or want to get to know him, please join us over at IHCC during the next six months!


I am sharing this post with:
IHCC theme: ¡Bienvenido, Rick!
Rick Bayless @IHCC button rounded Souper_Sundays2 SundayNightSoupNight Miz- Helen-Badge-ALT5 ttt foodfriday

Would you like to comment?

  1. I've been eying his cookbooks....do you have one you'd recommend as being your most favorite? 

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  2. So I found out resently that Rick was litteraly minutes from my house last spring fliming my Mexico, One Plate at a Time. They even went to some of my favorite places!! Of course I didn't know at that time.... I can't even watch  the show  because I don't have TV, pues.... 

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  3. Fantastica, que lujo

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  4.  I think I'm going to fall madly in love with Rick Bayless!   And I love the addition of kale in this soup.  :)  

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  5. I feel like a total loser, I've never heard of the guy---thanks for the intro and the recipe, I love tortilla soup!

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  6. That's a really hard question for me to answer.  I think my favorite that has seen the most use over the years is Authentic Mexican - BUT I would recommend any and all of them.  The trio of Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen, Mexico One Plate at a Time, and Everyday Mexican are all fabulous.  Salsas that Cook is smaller, Fiesta at Rick's is meant for a crowd (but of course can be scaled down), and Rick and Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventure has recipes from around the globe (as opposed to just Mexico).  Ummm...does that help ;P

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  7. QuĆ© rica sopa de tortilla!! me gusta porque a veces puedes hacerla plato Ćŗnico, nutritiva y fĆ”cil!
    Saludos

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  8. Ohh I love tortilla soup, but the "cold" part throws me off. I suppose gazpacho is delicious though, so I should give it a try!

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  9. Sounds like fun and *Mexican* food??!!  I'm in!

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  10. It's NOT cold!?  Not sure where I gave you that idea...but it's nice and piping hot!! =)

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  11. why am i not surprised to see your first recipe for this is tortilla soup. i'm thinking you need to write a coffee table book about tortilla soup.  seriously...you can travel and collect more recipes and take rockin' photos and feed your passion.  i'd buy it :)

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  12. I have contemplated doing just that.  I've even gone so far as to make a rough outline. 

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  13. Boy oh boy!  I have a ton of kale in the fridge right now, just waiting to be used.  I also have Rick's cookbook on my shelf.  And, I might possibly have dried pasilla chiles in my pantry.  Thanks for the inspiration.

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  14. ~~swoon, love, besos~~~  ummm loving this cooking club...I'm cooking exactly at this moment with rick...ahh life is good...

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  15. And to think I have a whole block of queso in my fridge right now BEGGING to be used up! I think a Bayless recipe, perhaps this soup is in order.  It sounds delicious! Between you and Rick...we're in for some tasty foods these next six months!

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  16. Now how did I know you'd make tortilla soup at some point? ;-)
    I love how excited you are about this, Heather!

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  17. I could even feel your excitement! The soup looks very tasty. 

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  18. Looks good, and I know it tastes even better! Here's my FF entry: 
    http://www.delightmyappetite.com/2012/04/a-hearty-lunch-at-floating-island-restaurant/

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  19. i first read "Chilled", too! until i finished reading the recipe and looked at the title post again. lol

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  20. i have heard of tortilla soup before, but haven't tried it yet (i know, crazy..right?!). this looks like one of those perfect comfort food! 


    thanks so much for sharing over at Food Friday, Heather

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  21. oh, forgot to add: am loving the font on your header! :)

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  22. Wow!What a delicious and comforting soup!Happy Easter!

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  23. I can see how excited you are! Lovely bowl of soup! A great start to a fabulous Mexican-licious journey!  :)

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  24. Hi Heather,
    I just love Rick Bayless, and this recipe looks awesome. I love the Piscilla Chili's and the kale is a great addition that I have never thought of for Tortilla Soup. I look forward to trying this recipe.   Hope you have a fabulous Celebration Week End and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  25. This looks so good.. I love tortilla soup but I bet it's even better with the kale! 

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  26. Honestly? No, not better. Just good in a different way ;) If you're craving greens...

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  27. Yvette MwcadventureApril 8, 2012 at 10:55 AM

    I hope i will learn a lot from rick, like you did or still do.
    Youre soup looks lovely!

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  28. I love adding the kale to this soup and I love that tortilla soup was your first recipe pick. This is going to be a fun 6 months. Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays too. ;-)

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  29. So fitting that you started off with tortilla soup.  I love cooking with kale and adding it in here and there.  I can see how it would definitely hold up to the chiles in this soup.  Looks delicious!

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  30. Aarggh, I STILL haven't tried making a tortilla soup! But its on my list of soups to make soon, and when I get to it, I'm coming right back here for my inspiration! Thanks for sharing this with Sunday Night Soup Night, look forward to seeing you again soon!

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  31. yum....that looks very delish :-) it makes me drool :-) Dropping by from FF

    http://www.homecookingwithjessy.com/fettuccine-alfredo-with-tuna/ 

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  32. It's all so simple and yet so beautiful - and I love that you've worked in kale! I am featuring this post in today's Friday Food Fetish roundup (with a link-back and attribution), but please let me know if you have any objections. It's a pleasure to be following your creations…

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  33. No objections - thanks for the feature! =)

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  34. Heather, this looks awesome! I've already got a few of Rick's tortilla soup recipes bookmarked and can't wait to give them a try. So excited to be cooking and learning about Mexican cuisine with IHCC this go around! :)

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  35. It's odd, I LOVE torilla soup, and I always order it when I eat out, but I've never tried to make it myself! This post really piqued my curiosity, I think I'm going to give it a try! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
    ~Susan

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  36. Dude, I would seriously get that! You are definitely the expert!

    Malice in Dunderland

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