Soup Songs #2: Falling in Love in 2009

At what point in the year does one lose the drive of New Years Resolutions? I wonder if it has already overcome us in the tired eyes I see and the cynicism I hear. In all attempts to re-motivate and re-energize those around me, this show is going to get a little bit preachy... perhaps I can be your motivational life coach for a brief moment this week. I think it's easiest when life gets you down to opt out, close down, isolate... I challenge you to do the opposite. Dig deep, hold on tight, throw yourself in with full force. We're all going to fall in love in 2009, no opting out.

Here's my three-prong approach to ripping the rug out from under you in 2009:
1. selfish karma searching
2. buying the change you seek
3. pretty things with pretty people

Please post ideas, resolutions, thoughts, complaints, loves, hates, where you're listening from, where you'd rather be listening from, why you think I'm an awful life coach, solutions, problems, cheesy quotes... you get the gist.... throughout the show. This is a collaborative project so get involved.

Here is a simple spicy soup to jump start your ride. I have this distorted sense that we made this soup every weekend in college when in actuality, we probably only made it a few times. It was just that memorable. I combined my friend Arthur's instructions with some that I had written on a shotty website back in the day, so take it with a grain of salt, spice slowly and make adjustments as necessary.

Note: Arthur says that this recipe is a lot easier with at least two people and a lot of beer. I say, aren't most things? Enjoy.

Classic Tortilla Soup
[by Arthur, with some credit to the friends that have made it with him over the years]

1 large white/yellow onion, cut into 1/2" rounds
6-10 cloves of garlic, leave the skin on
3+ jalapeños (mdepending on spice tolerance)
6-12 corn tortillas (preferably stale) or tortilla chips if you are crunched for time
canola/vegetable oila
32oz vegetable stock
12oz can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper

Toppings:
avocado
limes
cilantro
queso fresco (optional, you can also use a mild feta if you're hanging by the wrong border)

--Lay tortillas out on paper towels so they can dry out a bit while you prepare the other ingredients. Preheat oven to its broil setting.

--Slice the onions onions into 1" rounds, keep garlic cloves unpeeled, leave the chilis whole and lightly brush all of them with oil. Flip the veggies as they brown. Broil until everything browns and slightly blisters on all sides. A little burnt is fine and will lend a nice smokey flavor to the soup.

--Remove veggies from oven. Peel the garlic, remove the stems, pith and seeds from the jalapeños. Save seeds for later seasoning. Partially blend the garlic, onions, chilies, tomatoes and half of stock in a blender.

--Place mixture in a large pot along with remaining vegetable stock and bring to a medium heat.

--While the soup is heating, cut tortillas into 1'' strips and fry in a pan with remaining oil until they are brown and crisp. They will brown quickly so be mindful of your oil temperature. Place fried strips on paper towels to soak up some of the oil. If you are crunched for time or find your tortilla-frying skills debatable, you can use store bought chips.

--Prepare remaining toppings. Slice limes and avocado. wash cilantro and remove stems and crumble cheese if desired. Place in separate bowls for fun hands-on eating.

--When the soup is at your desired temperature, season to taste with remaining jalapeño seeds, salt and pepper. Separate into bowls and let everyone put their topping on (ice cream sundae style). Hopefully you still have some beer left to cool your palate as you eat.



Thanks again for listening tonight everyone. Looks like we were streaming to 14 different locations, possibly a Radio Phx record! Here is more or less what you heard tonight: