Faith Middleton's Food Schmooze

Crispy Tortilla, Lime, Garlic Soup

Servings

Ingredients

1head garlic clovesseparated and smashed
1 small bunch fresh cilantrostems removed from leaves and reserved for broth, leaves coarsely chopped (about ½ cup of chopped leaves)
1/2cup neutral oilsuch as canola, grapeseed, or sunflower
6 fresh corn tortillashalved and cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1 large ripe avocadoquartered and sliced
2 limes
2cups bite-size broccoli florettes
1 medium carrotpeeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin on the bias
1 jalapeño pepper(with its seeds), sliced into paper-thin rings
1/2cup white misoor to taste

Instructions

To prepare the broth, in a medium saucepan over high heat, combine 6 cups of water, garlic, and the cilantro stems and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain out the solids and return the broth to the saucepan. Cover to keep warm.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until you see the first whisp of smoke. Add the tortilla strips and fry until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the tortilla strips, drain on paper towels, and season lightly with salt.
Juice 1 lime and cut the other into wedges.
In a small bowl, toss the avocado pieces with the lime juice and set aside.
Add the broccoli, carrot, and jalapeno to the broth and simmer over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the vegetables are crisp-tender.
Place ½ cup of miso in a small bowl. Add a little of the hot soup broth and stir with a spoon until the miso becomes creamy. Transfer the miso to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. If desired, add more miso to taste. Stir in the chopped cilantro leaves.
Divide the tortilla strips and avocado among 4 soup bowls. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately, accompanied by the lime wedges.