Veggie Tortilla Soup with Golden Hominy & Chipotle

Two of my most favorite things about Mexican food, corn tortillas and hominy, also known as pozole. My Dad's job was as a "builder" of tortilla machines, you know the big, stainless steel machines that would produce hundreds of tortillas in one hour. My Dad would build them from the ground up and they would be perfect, and this from a man who quit school when he was in the 6th grade. From the time I could remember until the day I moved away from home, there were many, many tortillas tested, made,and eaten in our house. He would bring home the maíz in the raw form, cook it and grind it up for the making of the masa (corn dough). They are two foods that are near and dear to my heart.

Yields 8 servings

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup red bell pepper, diced
½ cup yellow bell pepper, diced
½ cup green bell pepper, diced
1 to 2 chipotles in adobo, minced
2- 15 ounce cans of golden hominy
½ cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 lemon cut into wedges for garnish
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
Olive oil
Canola oil

Always start with the freshest of ingredients and prep ahead if you can. It makes the cooking experience a lot easier and fun!

Directions:

1. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat in a large dutch oven pot. Slice 6 of the corn tortillas into bite-size pieces. Once oil is hot, add the tortilla pieces and fry until they start to crisp up.

2. Add ½ of the onions and all of the sweet peppers (red, green, and yellow), cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, ¼ cup cilantro, tomatoes and season with a little salt and pepper, cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients to soup, reserving the extra onions and cilantro for garnish. When soup comes to a boil, reduce heat, taste for salt, cover and continue cooking for 25 to 30 minutes.

4. While soup is simmering, in a medium-heavy pan, heat 2 cups of canola oil to medium/high heat. Slice the remaining tortillas into ½-inch strips. Once oil is hot enough, fry the tortilla strips. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, season lightly with salt.

5. To serve, garnish soup with a handful of tortilla strips, onion, cilantro, and lemon or lime wedges. Yields 8 servings.

Here is my Papi working on one of the many tortilla machines he built over his lifetime....

For me, one of the tastiest things about tortilla soup is the fried tortilla strips! I love how you get that little bit of soft and crunchy bite at the same time!

Other recipes by Sonia:

Mexican Red Rice
Annatto-Citrus Marinated Chicken
Chile Relleno with Serrano Shrimp
Mango and Dulce de Leche Empanadas
Cheesy Chorizo Bread
Flank Steak Tacos
Frijoles Borrachos con Chorizo
Buffalo Chicken Flautas
Chile Garlic Shrimp Kabobs
Avocado Fries
Chicken Enchilada Soup with Chayotes
Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Chip Chimichangas


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