My neighborhood has two very distinct personalities and nowhere is it more apparent than in my favorite two markets. One is Bi-Rite market; it is a foodie Mecca featuring the most glorious heirloom veggies, specialty products, artisan cheeses, a deli counter that will make a grown San Franciscan weep. The other is Casa Lucas which also features awesome produce, they’ve got the yummiest requeson, and really nice little chorizo though they have no other meat counter to speak of. Tonight I found plantain flour. It was a different kind of specialty product than one might find at Bi-Right but no less special.
I love my two markets. I shop often enough at each that I have a rapport with the people who work there. Each has it’s own rhythm and I feel happy and at home in both places.
Tonight was a Casa Lucas night. I had some handmade tortillas from La Palma that were stale and needed to be used which meant it was a perfect night for tortilla soup. After last night’s heavy dinner, though, the soup was going to be vegan! So, here’s my light and spicy vegan soup with homemade tortilla strips.
- INGREDIENTS FOR THE SOUP
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 4 carrots (chopped into 1 inch sections)
- ½ red onion diced
- 1 jalapeño (sliced into ½ moons)
- 2 ears corn (removed from ear)
- 2 summer squashes (sliced into rounds)
- 2 cups chard cut into a chiffonade
- 1 ½ tbsp smoked paprika
- ½ tbsp cumin
- black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried epazote
- TORTILLA STRIPS
- 2 thick cut handmade tortillas cut into strips
- ¼ cup canola oil
- INSTRUCTIONS FOR SOUP
- Heat vegetable stock, paprika, cumin, and epazote until boiling in a dutch oven or heavy stockpot
- Add carrots and onions and cook for 10 minutes then add corn and cook for another five, add the jalepenos and squash and cook for another five minutes. Add chard and cook for just another 1-2 minutes then turn off heat and cover.
- INSTRUCTIONS FOR TORTILLA STRIPS
- Carefully add tortilla strips and flip when golden at edges about 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium fire until hot and shimmering
Serve soup with shredded cabbage, lemon, radish, and tortilla strips.
I absolutely love your version of tortilla soup! this is amazing! I came across your site from the foodieblogroll and I'd love to guide Foodista readers to your site. I hope you could add this Tortilla Soup Widget at the end of this post so we could add you in our list of food bloggers who blogged about tortilla soup, Thanks!
The vegan tortilla soup looks delicious!
Thanks so much, Kathy, it was pretty darn yummy. Some big male carnivores were even heartily satisfied with this as an entree and I ate it happily as a light lunch.
This looks delicious and I love the idea of tortilla strips on the top yummy!