Tortilla Soup

A few months ago I passed up some fresh roasted Hatch chile peppers at the grocery store because I wasn't going home right away and couldn't store them properly in the heat of the car. I thought about the missed opportunity periodically throughout that day and then promptly forgot about them.

A post last month over at The Perfect Pantry, however, reminded me again of my failure to make sure the cooler was in the car before I left home. Until I read her post I wasn't aware of the Hatch brand of canned green chiles.

Although the company offers a line of several different products, I don't recall noticing any of them on my routine wanderings of the grocery store aisles. I finally remembered to look for the brand and found some Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce and small cans of diced roasted chiles at one place. A soup recipe on the label of the Enchilada Sauce sounded good so I decided to try it. (I later saw the whole pepper variety at a SuperWal-Mart).

I thought the finished soup had a nice flavor, with the green chiles making it a bit different than the tortilla soup I usually prepare using jalapeno or serrano peppers.

MICHELE'S CROCK POT TORTILLA SOUP

1-1/2 lbs. cooked, shredded chicken
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz. can HATCH Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
2 4 oz. cans HATCH Diced Green Chiles
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbs. minced garlic
2 cups water
1 15 oz. can chicken broth
2 tsp. each: cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper (or to taste)
1 15 oz. can corn, drained
2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped

Cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream and avocado for garnish.

In crock pot, combine all ingredients except cilantro and garnish. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours.

To serve: spoon into deep bowls and garnish with cheese, sour cream and avocado as desired. Tortillas or chips may be served on the side.

I did modify the recipe a bit, using some previously prepared pinto beans rather than canned, a larger can of tomatoes than that called for, and I substituted a Mexican green squash (the proper name escapes me at the moment--it looks rather like zucchini). I also prefer to use little strips of fried corn tortillas instead of sour cream as the garnish. Love to drop those crispy little pieces on top of the hot soup just before each spoonful.

There's a cookbook available from the Hatch Chile Co. called The Hatch Chile Cookbook (1998, 5th edition). No picture of the cover, sorry. Their website indicates you can order it from their online store, although I couldn't find it, but you might be able to find a used copy.