I’m not going to sink to the same level as this bout of premature winter that Mother Nature has tossed our way by complaining about it. Instead, I will silently voice my opinion by fighting back against the cold with this feisty, flavorful soup.

Tortilla soup defines comfort food for me – hearty, warm, and spicy, without lighting my mouth on fire. The rich chicken stock is underscored with a bit of heat, and cradles the sweetness of tomatoes – in this case, some of the last that we will be likely to see at the market until next August.

The shredded chicken is perfectly tender from hours of slow simmering, and gives the soup the guts it needs to stand on it’s own as a meal.

I staged a pathetic attempt at making my own tortillas for the first time and it was a miserable FAIL because I was unable to procure the necessary lard on such short notice. I tried to substitute with my all-natural, organic shortening and instead of flat, flexible pancakes, I ended up with mush balls that fell apart when rolled out. I fried up a few of those up to give the soup it’s signature flavor, but my hopes of topping the soup with gnarly strips of crispy tortilla were dashed.

That will have to be a project for another day.

Tortilla soup requires that you make your own stock (you need to do it anyway to cook the chicken to tender perfection), and therefore, you should plan to make the stock and set the chicken aside in the fridge the night before if the mood strikes for say, a weekday dinner. No matter how you get it done, it is well worth the effort, and the perfect end to our first blustery day that reminded us, cruelly, that winter is just around the corner.

Tortilla Soup

For the Stock:

1 (4 to 5 pound) whole chicken, innards removed and rinsed
Salt
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup medium diced carrots
1 cup medium diced celery
4 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 cups water

For the Soup:

8 (7-inch) corn tortillas
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 cups chopped onions
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded (about 6 to 8 Romas)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Garnishes:

1 large avocado, peeled and diced
2 fresh limes, cut into quarters
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

For the Stock: Season the chicken with salt. Place in a large stockpot and add the remaining ingredients. Season with a teaspoon of salt. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 2 hours.

Remove from the heat and cool completely. Remove the chicken and set aside. Strain the liquid into a another pan, discarding the vegetables. Remove the fat and bones from the chicken. Dice the chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.

For the Soup: Preheat the fryer. Cut half of the tortillas in quarters and thinly slice the other half. Fry both cuts of tortillas in batches, until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and set aside.

In a stock pot, over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf and jalapeno. Continue to saute for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Crush the reserved fried tortilla quarters over the tomatoes. Stir to mix. Stir in the reserved chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Using a hand-held blender, puree the soup until smooth or leave chunky (either way, be sure to remove the bay leaf). Re-season the soup. Stir in the reserved chicken and cilantro. Simmer for another 5 minutes. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls. Garnish with the avocados, squeeze of lime  lime juice, fresh cilantro and the fried tortilla strips. Serve warm.