Listening to Elvis on a Rainy day...............

Tortilla Soup w/ Roasted Poblanos

1 med. yellow onion

6 corn tortillas

5 tbsp. corn oil

6 cloves of garlic

2 Poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 jalapeno chile, cored, seeded, and diced

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper (toasted)

2 dried bay leaves

8 cups chicken stock

1 can diced tomatoes 14 1/2 oz

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1tbsp ground cumin

GARNISHES:

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1 cup grated asadero cheese

chopped plum tomatoes

chopped fresh cilantro

sour cream

Lime wedges

Puree the chopped onion in a food processor until smooth, cut 3 of the tortillas into 1/4 inch dice.

Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook for a few seconds. Add the diced tortillas, stir to evenly coat, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to crisp, be sure the garlic doesn't get too brown. Stir in the onion, poblanos, jalapeno, cilantro, cumin, pepper, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring, until the chiles and spices are aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and diced tomatoes (with liquid) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and salt and simmer for 10 minutes longer. Discard the bay leaves.

Cut the remaining 3 tortillas into 1/4 inch strips. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tortilla strips and cook, stirring often , for about 5 minutes, until lightly toasted and aromatic. Drain on a paper towel.

To serve, ladle the soup into individual warmed bowls. Garnish with the crisp tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, tomatoes, cilantro and sour cream. add wedges of lime for squeezing.