Cloberin' Da Crud, Revisited

posted February 17, 2009
  by Josh Gunn, Bachelor Chow

Alas, loyal readers, we find ourselves again in that time of year when stuffy heads and the sniffles reign supreme. Whether you are suffering from winter allergies (here in Aus-Vegas, mold and cedar pollen are taking over the city), the common cold, or the dreadful flu, unquestionably you will come down with "the crud."

The crud is just a generic term for congestion and stuffiness in the head and chest. My doctor says the crud always hits around February because of holiday travels: thousands upon thousands of people shuffle around the world and stir-up and exchange viruses. These viruses climb into your nostrils and set-up shop in the ol' mucus membranes. For teachers, this is also a popular time of year to get sick: the students come back after the holiday break bearing viral gifts. When you teach classes in auditoriums full of students like I do, the likelihood you'll pick up something is fairly high. So far I have been lucky, but, you know, I'm not holding my breath!

As I wrote last year, the crud can be managed with two foods: hot toddies and soup, and more specifically, chicken noodle soup. Last fall, when I mentioned to a colleague she should try out my chicken noodle soup recipe to help clobber the crud, she responded that she prefers chicken tortilla soup. "I like the spiciness of the soup," she said, "which helps to open up my sinuses." I promptly went home and researched the soup, combined about five different recipes I found online, and made it myself. Since that time I've perfected the recipe, and so I want to share it this week!

I did try to find out the history of tortilla soup (as is my habit with recipes), but I couldn't really come up with anything. It seems to be a regional, Tex-Mex dish that originally involved pouring the soup over leftover, stale tortillas. This idea of pouring soup over "chips" reminded me of Frito pie, which is also a Texan invention and involves pouring chili over chips. Regardless of the soup's history, it's definitely fun to eat!

Now, even if I've somehow managed to forestall the inevitable, my neighbors and friends have not: at least two of my buddies have a cold, and my neighbor sounds like she should start her own "adult" phone call service (I asked if she would do my outgoing answering machine message with that sultry voice, and she quipped: "what? You have an answering machine?").

On Monday I decided to whip up a batch of tortilla soup and share it with my ill friends, all of whom raved about it the next day. They particularly enjoyed the "kick," which can be good if you're head feels like it is packed with cotton. So try the recipe below and see what you think. The cool thing is that there is no right or wrong way to make this stuff—you can try adding any vegetable that you like (In fact, the best way to learn to cook is by starting with soup!). I imagine you could add lima beans or garbanzos and this soup will till come out tangy and delicious!


Dr. Bachelor's Terrific Tortilla Soup Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 8
Ready in: 1-2 hrs

* 1 frying chicken
* 3 stalks celery (or to taste)
* 3 cloves roughly chopped garlic (or to taste)
* 1 Onion, quartered
* Creole/Cajun Seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama)
* 3 tablespoons olive oil (or as needed)
* 1 Onion, finely chopped
* 5 cloves garlic, chopped finely (or to taste)
* 1 tablespoon cumin
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 1 can (28 oz. size) crushed tomatoes
* 4 cups chicken broth
* 1 can green chili peppers (jalapenos, preferably pickled with carrots)
* 1 small can whole corn kernels, drained
* 1 can white hominy, drained
* 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 big clump (handful) fresh cilantro, chopped
* tortilla chips, crushed
* chopped green onions
* shredded Monterey jack cheese
* sour cream

Ok, to cook the chicken and make your broth, boil the chicken in a medium stock pot with garlic, celery stalks (and any leaves you can pull off the bunch too), and the quartered onion for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your bird. Let the chicken cool and strain the broth into a bowl (you'll want it later). Once the bird is cool enough to handle, remove all the meat—light and dark—tearing the meat into bite size pieces.

If you don't want to make your own broth (which makes preparation faster), you can just buy a couple of cans of chicken broth and a pack of chicken tenders. Just fry or boil the chicken until cooked.

Use the stock pot again (after it's rinsed out) and heat your oil, then, sauté the chopped onions and garlic until soft. Dump in your spices at this point and cook for a minute or two. Then, add the crushed tomatoes and 4 cups broth. Don't, however, throw away the remaining broth, as you may need more! Bring this to a boil.

Once the soup is boiling, add in the hominy, corn, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Reduce all to a simmer. Then add your green peppers. I like to buy the green peppers that are packaged with carrots in a 10 oz. size can. Also, I don't drain the peppers, but pour the juice into the soup. It does make the soup spicy, but in my opinion that's what you want!

Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, tasting and seasoning with your Cajun/Creole stuff as needed. To serve, pour into a bowl and top with shredded Monterey jack cheese and crushed tortilla chips. I also like to add a tiny dollop of sour cream. Yum!

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