Tomato Bean Tortilla Soup.

I love tortilla soup and during warmer months I like to make it with a lighter broth the way my Mum makes it she combines her recaudo with homemade chicken broth and tops it with freshly made tortilla chips and lightly fried pasilla chilli crumbled on top, so delicious!

But when the weather starts changing I can’t help preferring a thicker broth and more substance into my soup, one of the reasons being that I sometimes just have a soup for dinner and I like it to feel more rich.

I also find this recipe perfect to transition from summer to autumn , a time I often find a bit difficult ! I have always preferred the warm sunny days but is inevitable that things come to a end and when a cycle is finished we need to get ready for a new one, I so feel that this also applies in many aspects of our lives when there is change and we get a bit out of our comfort zone.

But anyway change can also bring good things and we must learn to embrace it! I find this mentally very helpful; It is in this way that I came up with this easy soup by using what is left of the summer produce and by cozy it up for the autumn, the butter beans and thicker consistency add the comfort that I need.

When there is no fresh tasty tomatoes around you can use good quality tinned tomatoes, and make sure you simmer this soup for a long time in order to concentrate all the ingredients, I can guaranty that your soup will taste amazing if you do this.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp of rapeseed oil or any vegetable cooking oil of your preference.

1 tsp coriander seeds.

1 yellow onion, (roughly chopped ).

1 small leek, (remove the green and roughly chop the rest).

1 garlic clove, (remove the skin and crush it with your knife).

1 small carrot, (diced).

3 vine tomatoes, (cut into quarters ).

200 grams of cherry tomatoes, (whole or halved).

1 red bell pepper, (roughly chopped).

1 tbsp ground guajillo chilli.

750 ml of chicken or vegetable stock.

1 tin of organic cooked butter beans or cannellini beans.

Sea salt and black coarse pepper to season.

1 cup of vegetable oil for frying.

15 corn tortillas, (preferably stale but fresh ones can be used too, just let them cool down completely and air them by spreading them over your kitchen counter for at least 20 minutes before frying).

Maldon salt.

To serve:

1 ripe avocado .

1 cup of creme fraiche or greek yoghurt, (if too thick I mix it with a bit of water to make it more runny like consistency, perfect to drizzle over your soup).

Method:

1. Heat up your oil in a heavy base sauce pan, then add the coriander seeds and let them cook until they start popping, stir and add the onion, leeks and crushed garlic, stir and fry slowly until your vegetables soften up and become translucent.

2. I then add the carrots, tomatoes, red bell pepper and ground guajillo, stir it and let it cook slowly on a low heat and covered with a lid for about 30 minutes, stir from time to time and don’t worry about anything sticking at the bottom of your pan as this means more flavour and it will integrate with the rest of your soup once your add your stock.

3. Remove from your pan from the heat and add your stock, blend your soup mixture really smooth (either with a hand blender or normal blender) and return your sauce pan and soup mixture into the stove , add a good pinch of salt and black coarse pepper, plus your drained beans, cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat for 30 - 40 minutes.

4. In the meantime cut your tortillas into triangles (as seen in the picture), and shallow fry them in hot oil, until they are crunchy and golden in colour. Once they are ready, remove them from the oil carefully with a slotted spoon and place them over kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the same with the rest of your tortillas, add a pinch of maldon salt over them whilst they are still warm, set aside.

5. Serve your soup hot making sure there is enough beans in each portion and top it with the crunchy tortilla chips, scoops of avocado and a drizzle of creme fraiche, enjoy!