Tortilla Soup



INGREDIENTS:

5-6 large red-ripe tomatoes (or more) or 8-9 plum
tomatoes (this is a goodsummer recipe)

veg oil

1 large onion

1-2 carrots (grated)

1 stalk celery

2-4 cloves garlic

1 big bunch cilantro

1/2 to 1 green jalapeno

2 tbls. veggie bullionto

cumin

mex. oregano

salt

sweet or half-sharp paprika.

1 small bag froze sweet corn or two fresh cobs

about six corn tortillas

2-3 limes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fry onions til they soften and start to brown. Add
garlic, but don't letit brown. Add minced jalapeno,
grated carrot and diced celery. cook alittle.

2. Chop tomatoes and throw in the pot. Salt them and
sautee til they startreleasing juices. Add water to cover,
along with corn (if you use wholecobs, cut the corn off,
add this and also add the cobs -they're full ofsweet
flavor. Fish them out later).

3. Grind the cumin seed and add it to taste, along with
the oregano, bullion,paprika. When the soup seems to be
blending flavors well, add the finelychopped cilantro and
cook only for a few minutes more.

4. Chop the tortillas in long strips. Some cookbooks deep
fry them at thispoint - I think this is unneccessary and
adds lots of oil. Drying them inthe oven is nice, but also
unneccessary.

5. To serve, salt to taste, then add the lime juice to
taste. Put a goodhandful of tortillas in each bowl
(remember they swell though) and ladelsoup over. Let it
sit for half a minute, then serve.



Tortilla Soup