Soupruary 11th: Vegetarian Tortilla

Tornado Sirens and Tortilla Soup: Not for the faint of heart/palate.



Location:
My apartment, Cincinnati, Ohio

Attendees:
Casey (and her BFF Andre), Julie, me


Menu:
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
Chips & Salsa
Mixed Greens
Maker's Mark Milkshakes & Milano Cookies (the grown-up after-school snack of choice)

Entertainment:
See below.

The Soup:
Was spicy. Even with a big mound of tortilla strips to soak up the ooo-ooo-ooo ahh-ahh-ahh AY-YI-YI ouch.

Even with sweet little roasted grape tomatoes.


Even with lovely, neutralizing, pan-fried tofu.


I should have consulted Kevin on what this soup needed; I'm sure he'd've recommended some gauca-MO-lay.

It was SPICY. I finished my whole bowl, but there was a lot of panting and exclaiming going on. I'm afraid I started a fire in Julie's esophagus. So here's the disclaimer: Don't make this unless you like spicy food. Not vaguely spicy, actually spicy. Or, at the very least, white-girl spicy.

And here's the endorsement: The flavor was spot on for what I want in a tortilla soup.

Adapted from 101cookbooks.com

Extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 corn tortillas, halved and then cut into matchsticks
20 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
4 c vegetable stock
2 c water
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 c frozen corn
1 14.5-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package extra firm tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces
goat cheese and sour cream, as garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the tortilla strips with a splash of olive oil and some sea salt, and spread them on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 or 15 minutes, until golden and crisp. Set aside.

In another baking dish, toss the grape tomatoes with a splash of olive oil and some sea salt and pepper, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the edges of the split tomatoes start to brown.

In your soup pot, heat a splash of olive oil and add the garlic and onion. Cook over medium heat until soft (5 to 7 minutes). Add crushed tomatoes, cayenne, coriander, and cumin, and cook down for another 5 minutes (the mixture should thicken slightly). Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until smooth.

Return the pot to heat and add stock, water, green bell pepper, corn, and black beans. Simmer until heated through.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, heat a bit of olive oil and add the tofu. Season with a dash of cayenne and cumin and some salt. Move and shake the pan to avoid sticking. Brown the tofu on at least two sides. Set aside.

To serve, ladle soup base into bowls, top with grape tomatoes, a portion of tofu, a generous pile of tortilla strips, and some goat cheese or sour cream.