| 8/23/2005 |
DIVINE THING by Soup Dragons
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I've never been a big fan of most soups. Even if I've ever told you that I like soup, I was most likely lying to not offend something you've made or gone out of your way to do. There is something about a meal in liquid form that I can't quite embrace. Now, please not that as I am saying this I am qualifying what a soup is. I don't dislike all soups. It probably shouldn't be a meal. I ate it even though I was probably hoping you'd make a burger or a nice salad instead.
"But I've seen you wet yourself over french onion soup at Italian restaurants." Not as a meal. I wouldn't order delicious delicious french onion as my main entree. It is a soup. No getting around it. Like I said, I'm not a big fan of "most soups." I've actually used it as a dip. It's great with a big thick slice of buttery garlic bread. It's almost like an au jus, but with onions.
"What about chili?" the masses shout. Chili is chili. It is not a soup, in my mind. Chili should be thick. You should need a fork to eat it, because of all the chunks of tasty goodness that lurk beneath a very thin layer of liquid that has pooled at the top. It should not be mainly liquid with a few chunks of meat or bean. That would be a soup, not a chili.
"What about chicken noodle soup? Haven't you had a sick day in your life?" Chicken noodle is fine, if that is what you like. Everyone makes it slightly different, but I can't get over the notion that the broth (chicken water) typically tastes like a salty chicken died in the soup, rather than died to be the soup. I'd take the chicken and noodles without the broth, but then is it really soup anymore? I'd argue that it isn't. (see: chili)
Ok, so I admit there are exceptions. There are exceptions to every rule. For example, the first time I tried Chicken Enchilada Soup was at Chili's. I was having dinner with some friends and co-workers. Everyone raved about how good their Chicken Enchilada Soup was. I just HAD to try. I wouldn't be allowed to leave without at least trying a small cup.
I'd envisioned a steaming bowl of what was probably the juice drained out of a bowl of chili, with chicken, cheese, and some of those festive multicolored corn chips sprinkled in for looks. What I got was a warm bowl of smoothly melted cheesey-tomatoey sauce with chunks of chicken, rice, onions, and tortilla chips. I'm sure there were other things in there, but that is the main ingredients that I remember.
You can eat it with a soup spoon. It is too liquidy to use only a fork. There are lots of various chunky good things like a chili. Is it enough to make a meal out of it, if you had a big enough portion? It's saucy and cheesy like a dip. Are they not just feeding us a bowl of queso with chicken? Whatever it could be classified as it was good.
Since then I've found and modified my own version of Chicken Enchilada Soup. It may be too sultry some days to feel like digging in to a big bowl of piping hot goodness. Yet, some days you may not even care. Just crank up the air conditioning till your uncomfortably cold and need to wear a jacket. Then enjoy a bowl of...
CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP
1 pound of chicken tenders
1 can of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of fiesta nacho cheese
1 can of milk
1 jar of enchilada sauce
4 burrito-sized tortilla shells
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of rice
1 4oz. can green chiles (optional)
fresh cilantro (optional)
Ok. Now. If you've ever read a recipe of mine then you will know that I don't measure the best. Cooking is like art in my opinion. If it doesn't have to be exact, then don't do it exactly. Draw your lines however you want them.
If you use the bigger cans of soup then just use one. I'm referring to the small 12oz (?) size, not the family size.
Dice up your chicken and toss it into a pot. Pour in enough chicken broth to cover the chicken pieces, two cans should do it. Put it over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Remove the chicken and shred it using two forks. Cover with foil and set aside.
In a big pan combine the cream of chicken, fiesta nacho cheese, enchilada sauce, and milk. Use one of the empty cans to measure out one can of milk. Don't leave this unattended. The milk and cheese can burn easily is not monitored. Add the chicken to the mixture. Stir the mixture to make sure the cheese is fully melted, and everything is combined and heated through. The rice should be soft.
Now here's the trick with the rice. You can add 1 cup of rice to the mixture when you combine everything else OR you can prepare your own style of rice and simply add it to the finished soup. The choice is yours. I like using Lipton Taco Rice and adding it when I serve the soup.
Cut your tortillas in half and then into one inch strips. Place a couple layers of them in the bottom of each bowl. This would also be the time to add the rice to your bowl if you prepared your own rice separately. Salt and pepper to taste.
You spice of the soup by adding a can of green chiles as you are heating the soup. Garnish with fresh cilantro. |
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I posted this @ 8/23/2005 11:08:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
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