Tortilla Soup

Serves 6-8

At the Noblesville Dave Matthews Band tour stop, Chef Fiona cooked up her zesty Tortilla Soup, an ode to the bounty of fresh, juicy tomatoes in season. When enjoying the dish at home, try pairing it with Dreaming Tree Crush Red Blend.

Ingredients

TORTILLA SOUP

1 large yellow onion, rough chop
6 cloves garlic, smashed
5 pounds tomatoes, cut in half with core removed
1-2 jalapenos, depending on taste for heat, remove or keep the seeds, rough chop
5 stems oregano, leaves removed
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 12oz Mexican beer
1 1/2 quart chicken stock, or vegetarian chicken stock if keeping vegetarian

GARNISHES

6-8 corn tortillas, sliced, fried in 6 tablespoons canola oil and drained (can be done while soup is cooking). Alternatively, use crumbled tortilla chips.
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, drizzled in extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon chili powder. Baked, cooked through, and shredded when cooled (can be done while soup is cooking).
1 block cotija cheese, crumbled, if not available can use shredded jack or cheddar
2 avocados, diced
1/2 bunch of cilantro, rough chop
1 lime, cut in wedges

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place onion, garlic, tomatoes, jalapeños, oregano, cilantro, cumin, coriander, oil, salt, and pepper in a roasting pan.
Toss gently and place in oven.
Roast for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are lightly browned.
Pull the pan out of the oven and pour beer into pan and return to oven for 10-15 minutes, until the beer has cooked down.
Again pull the pan from the oven, pour in stock.
Heat until hot, 10-15 minutes.
Carefully remove from oven to prevent hot liquid from spilling. Remove bay leaves and transfer soup to a pot.
Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
If tomatoes are not in season you may need to add a tablespoon or so of honey.