Cream of Tortilla Soup

I cannot go to Costco without buying a rotisserie chicken.  They are the best value around.  I often get four meals from one chicken.  Also, I can't make a chicken that moist and tender unless I do a beer can chicken on the grill.  Last night we had sliced chicken breast, homemade stuffing with sausage and pecans, tomato slices and more of the fantastic Costco asparagus roasted in the oven.  Today, I turned the legs and thighs into Cream of Tortilla Soup.  I used an old recipe from a 1991 issue of Bon Appitite Magazine.  As always, I made adaptations.  My adaptations are in bold.

Also, before the recipe sharing, I want to show you how I cook.  Some of you know that I am handicapped, some don't.  It's not just my hands that are shot, it starts with my shoulders, goes to my arms and then to the peripheral nerves of my hands.  I cannot lift my arms above my waist.  In order to cook, I hop up and down on a stool hundreds of times a day.  I must defy gravitional pull by getting higher than I need to raise my hands and arms.  This is an ugly photo.  I'm dressed in my "kitchen rags" and the photo makes me look fat, but I asked husband to take the photo so that you can see how I cope with my handicap and how I still indulge in my joy of cooking.  All the hopping up and down does give me great calves, though!  I have stools in every room, in the RV and even at my son's house.  The grandkids love it!  When I cook at son's home, they drag their own stools over to the counter and "help" me.  Don't ever let an infirmity take away the joy of something you love doing.  Joy is what separates us from the Beasties.  Or, at least I think so.

Cream of Tortilla Soup

 Ingredients:

• 2 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth (I used 4 cups homemade stock)*

• 1/2 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup diced celery  (I used 1 cup and used leaves and all)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives (I used almost 1 cup of diced cilantro)
• 1 1/2 cups crushed unsalted tortilla chips
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour  (I used 3 tablespoons)
• I added 1 carrot, peeled and then done into ribbons with the peeler)

• 1/4 cup whipping cream (I used 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Crushed unsalted tortilla chips
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bring chicken broth to boil in small saucepan over medium heat.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon chopped tomato and 2 tablespoon chives for garnish. Add remaining tomato, chives and 1 1/2 cups tortilla chips to saucepan and sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over and stir mixture for 2 minutes.

Stir chicken broth into tortilla mixture. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat. Stir in whipping cream. Add grated Jack and cheddar cheese and stir mixture until cheese is melted and well blended. Add chili powder and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Rewarm soup over low heat, stirring frequently.) Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle each with some of reserved tomato and chives and crushed tortilla chips and serve.  Easily (using my quantities) serves six.

* I save chciken carcasses and also any bones from other chicken dishes, boil them up with chunks of carrot, celery, onion and bay leaves to make a robust chicken stock.  I strain it and freeze it in 2 cup portions and then use it as needed when broth is called for.  It's a great way to use up getting old carrots and celery and I can control the sodium etc..  Seems a no brainer to me.