Rotisserie for Beef & Bird Texas Tortilla Soup

Makes 6-8 servings

ingredients

2to 4 tablespoons butter
1/2cup oil, divided
1large onion, chopped
1fresh jalapeño, seeded and chopped
4garlic cloves, minced
2large carrots, diced
6ribs celery, diced
1pound raw chicken meat, diced
1teaspoon each: ground cumin, chili powder, salt and lemon pepper
3teaspoons hot red pepper sauce
1/2cup all-purpose flour
1(14-ounce) can tomatoes
4(10 1/2-ounce) cans chicken broth or equivalent homemade stock
8corn tortillas, cut into strips
1cup sour cream (can use nonfat)
3avocados, seeded and diced
1cup grated Cheddar cheese

directions

1
Heat butter and 1/4 cup oil in large kettle (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat. Add onion, jalapeño, garlic, carrots, celery and chicken; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, chili powder, salt, lemon pepper, pepper sauce and flour. Add tomatoes and chicken broth; stir well and simmer 1 hour.
2
While soup simmers, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil to 375 degrees in a deep skillet. Drop tortilla strips into hot oil and fry until crisp; drain on paper towels.
3
To serve, put a few tortilla strips in the bottom of 6 to 8 soup cups; fill cups with soup and top with a spoon each of sour cream, avocado and cheese.

notes

From Chronicle files. This quintessential Tortilla Soup was created by Joe Mannke, owner of Rotisserie for Beef & Bird. Tortilla Soup has become a fixture on regional Texas, Mexican and Tex-Mex menus.

Source: Linda