Murphy's Tortilla Soup

Mom was a big fan of Murphy's Restaurant and the Gurley Streel Grill in Prescott, Arizona.  This recipe was in her collection, and is actually printed on their letterhead.  Not sure how she got it, but it is so, so yummy!  I made it last week during our rainy spell, and it hit the spot. The leftovers were good, too.

Murphy's Tortilla Soup

1 cup fresh corn kernels
2 Tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic- minced
1 cup onion- diced
1/2 cup carrots- diced
1/2 cups celery- diced
1/2 cup Anaheim chili pepper- seeded and chopped fine
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1-1/2 Tablespoons  chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1-1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1-1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1-1/2 Tablespoons coarse salt  (I just salted to taste...)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups tortilla chips- broken into small pieces
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese- grated

Cut raw kernels off corn cob with a sharp knife. In a large saucepan, melt butter over moderate heat add the onion, celery, corn, carrots, garlic, and Anaheim chili and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, and oregano and continue stirring another minute to toast spices. Add the tomatoes, stock, cilantro, and chicken.  Bring mixture to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, distribute the broken tortilla chips equally in the bottom of the soup bowls, ladle the soup over them, and garnish each bowl with cheese.

*Notes:  I am a cheater pants.  I used frozen corn, and a can of diced tomatoes, but it was still great, and had delicious flavor.  I've also thrown in a can of diced green chilies when I couldn't find an Anaheim, and yep it was still gooooood.