Tortilla Soup

• 2 ears of fresh corn
• 4-5 large garlic cloves
• 1 small onion, peeled, trimmed, quartered
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, trimmed, seeded
• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 2 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch squares
• 1 pound large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• salt & freshly ground pepper
• 2 corn tortillas
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 large chicken breast, cooked, boned, skinned, shredded
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. Scrape kernels off corn,set aside, reserving cobs.
2. In a food processor chop the garlic, onion, jalapeno pepper, and the corn kernels. Reserve
3. Heat oil in a large stockpot. Add tortilla squares, cook over low heat until slightly crisp. Sir in chopped vegetables and simmer just until the vegetables are coated with oil. Do not brown.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and cumin and simmer for 10 min. to maximize flavor. Slowly pour in stock, add corn cobs and cook over low heat until soup is reduced by 1/3, about 40 min. stirring often.
5. Discard corn cobs and puree soup in batches in a blender or with immersion blender. Strain through a fine strainer if desired. Return to a clean pot, season with S&P.
6. Preheat oven/toaster oven to 350. Cut tortillas into thin strips, bake until strips are crisp, 10-15 min. Peel and dice avocado, shred chicken. Top soup with garnishes.

corn, garlic, onion, jalapeno pepper, corn oil, corn tortillas, tomatoes, tomato paste, ground cumin, chicken stock, salt, corn tortillas, avocado, chicken breast, cheddar cheese, cilantro

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/tortilla-soup-1259444 (may not work)