Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup with Calabaza Pressure Cooker

Tortilla Soup With Calabaza Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

SERVES 4 to 5 – Cooker: 5- to 7-quart – Time: 6 minutes at HIGH pressure

• 4 corn tortillas, cut into wide strips
• olive oil spray
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 2 small zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 red, green, or yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice, undrained
• 1 cup chunky salsa fresca of your choice
• 1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, Mexican red chile powder, or ancho chile powder
• ¾ teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• ½ teaspoon salt
• a few grinds black pepper.
• 6 cups water, chicken broth, or vegetable broth
• 1½ cups frozen baby white corn kernels (no need to thaw)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

FOR SERVING

• shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
• 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream (thinned with a few tablespoons milk), crema Mexicana, or plain Greek yogurt
• 1 firm-ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F
2. Lightly spray both sides of each tortilla with the olive oil spray
3. With a knife, cut the tortillas into 2½ x 1-inch strips
4. Spread the tortilla strips onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet
5. Bake until crisp but not browned, turning once halfway through baking, 8 to 10 minutes
6. In a 5- to 7-quart pressure cooker, heat the oil over medium heat
7. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring a few times, until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes
8. Add the zucchini, bell pepper, and garlic
9. Add the lime juice and bring to a boil; let the liquid reduce by half
10. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the salsa, pumpkin, spices, oregano, salt, and pepper
11. Add the broth
12. Close and lock the lid
13. Set the burner heat to high
14. When the cooker reaches HIGH pressure, reduce the burner heat as low as you can and still maintain HIGH pressure
15. Set a timer to cook for 6 minutes
16. Remove the pot from the heat
17. Open the cooker with the Quick Release method
18. Be careful of the steam as you remove the lid
19. Stir in the corn and cilantro
20. Simmer over medium heat, uncovered, 2 minutes to cook the corn
21. Taste for seasoning
22. To serve, place tortilla chips on the bottom of each bowl and ladle over the soup
23. Sprinkle with grated cheese
24. Drizzle with a tablespoon of sour cream, and top with a few slices of avocado and some cilantro
25. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side