Cook’s Notebook: Summer’s over, time for soup

Now that fall is in the air, it feels right to turn our culinary attention to something warm, something comfy.

It’s time for soup.

Back in July, we received a request from Mary Ellen Murray of Spokane. She wanted to know how to make the chicken tortilla soup served at the Chili’s restaurant chain. With the cooler temperatures, it seems a good time to delve into a dish that’s warm and spicy.

National restaurant chains aren’t keen to share their recipes. Trade secrets and all that. So we’re left with various copycat recipes published in books or on the Internet. I tried a Google search of Chili’s tortilla soup and came up with some promising hits.

A highly rated recipe at allrecipes.com caught my eye. “Chicken Tortilla Soup I” averaged a 4.5 out of 5 stars from more than 400 reviewers, earning praise for taste and ease of preparation. It didn’t advertise itself as “just like Chili’s,” but one of the reviewers thought it was.

A cup of chicken tortilla soup from my local Chili’s consisted of a smoky, flavorful, tomato-based broth, bits of chicken, shredded carrots, onions, green chilies, yellow corn, Monterey Jack cheese and crushed blue tortilla chips. Looking at the recipe for “Chicken Tortilla Soup I,” I knew I’d have to make some adjustments.

In went the shredded carrots, out came the white hominy. Out came the condensed chicken broth, in went the low-sodium full strength variety I prefer. Most importantly, in went the ground cumin to bring a smoky heat to the finished soup, plus juice from half a lime to add a citrusy zest.

The result? A delicious, hearty soup that earned raves from my in-laws. But it didn’t quite match the flavor of the Chili’s soup. The added cumin added a nice note to the soup – I’ll increase the amount next time from 1 teaspoon to 2 – but it didn’t bring enough smokiness.

The soup needs some chipotles in adobo sauce.

Chipotles are smoked jalapeño peppers normally sold in cans with a flavored tomato sauce. That’s the adobo. A 7-ounce can of chipotles and adobo added to the soup should do the trick. If you are sensitive to spice, start with half a can of chipotles. You can always add more later.

One final note: This recipe was too large for my 3-quart soup pot. I’d start with a 4-quart pot or larger.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (7-ounce) can chipotles in adobo, chilies finely chopped or mashed, and sauce reserved

4 cups chicken broth (low-sodium preferred)

2 cups whole corn kernels, cooked

1 cup shredded carrots

1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chili peppers

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces

Juice from 1/2 lime

Salt to taste

Crushed tortilla chips

Sliced avocado

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Chopped green onions

In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, cumin, tomatoes, chipotles, adobo and broth. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in corn, green chilies, beans, cilantro, chicken and lime juice. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.

Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese and chopped green onion.

Yield: 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.