Enchilada Soup

Sigh. Another recipe, another lack of photos. Thought I'd give my camera a try again, but it failed. Oh well, maybe Santa will leave me a new data card in my stocking!

Exercising in below-zero weather can be tricky. If you don't go fast enough, you get cold. Today, the thermometer barely rose above -5, and it almost felt like full time work just to keep the wood stove going. Frankly, I can't imagine what my Fairbanks brethren go through- I hear it was -45 up there today. Brrr!

So, even though it was cold, Tory managed to motivate me for a cross-country ski in the woods this afternoon. It was gorgeous- another stunning moonrise- and quiet, but it wasn't fast. By the home stretch I was shivering. It took me about 3 hours- and several bowls of this soup- to warm up. 

It's an easy enough recipe, though longish, and a crowdpleaser. Who doesn't like chicken? Tory, actually. He also doesn't like stewed meat. It's a testament to the tastiness of the soup that he wolfed down three bowls before I got to my second. Or maybe it was 3 hours of chopping wood? Regardless, he loved it, and named it.

PS. Can we talk about the sad discovery of tasting real sour cream after one has been eating plain yogurt as "a perfectly good substitute" for years? God, it was nearly revelatory. Like the time I put half and half in my coffee after years of drinking it with skim milk. It's been 3 years and I haven't gone back to skim.


Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, diced
1 carrot, chopped
1 jalapeño, diced
1 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. whiskey
2 c chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
3 tbs tomato paste
1 lb of chicken breasts/thighs
1 can of beer (Budweiser is fine)


Sauté onion, garlic, carrot, and jalapeño in olive oil over medium high heat. Sprinkle cumin and cayenne over pan and cook til onion is transparent, about 3-5 minutes. Add whiskey, chicken stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and beer. Bring to simmer and add chicken, making sure it's completely submerged. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. 


With tongs or a slotted spoon remove the chicken. Turn burner to medium high and reduce by 1/3. Shred chicken with fingers or two forks. With a stick blender, or a regular blender in batches, blend the poaching stock til creamy. Stir in shredded chicken and serve with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.