Tortilla Soup: Delicious & Deconstructable

I can tell from newsletter subscriptions and my email inbox (please don't ever stop writing me) that there are a lot of new faces stopping by DALS to check out what we've been doing here for the past two and a half years. So longtime loyal readers, please forgive me while I indulge the urge to do a little summary for our first-time visitors. First-time visitors: Welcome! Your pop quiz on skillet meals will not be administered until next week, but today I'd like to present to you the most fundamental of DALS Strategies for Family Dinners. It's known around these parts as The Principle of Deconstruction and -- are you paying attention, because it's complicated -- it goes like this: If you are tired of being a short-order cook for your daughter who hates chicken but likes avocado and your son who hates avocado but likes chicken, and your toddler who only eats olives and cheese and caviar, you do not have to make three separate dinners. The key is to pick one meal that can be broken down into its individual ingredients (aka deconstructed) and reassembled the way your diners like it. That way, even though everyone is eating something different, you have only made one meal and, more important, you do not have the urge to politely excuse yourself then scream at the top of your lungs into the clothes dryer. I've gone on and on about deconstructing, I know, and there is a huge section in my book devoted to recipes that are conducive to this strategy, but lately I've been applying the Theory of Deconstruction to soups with much success. Look how I turned my 15-minute Tortilla Soup into for my soup-hating 8-year-old?

Nice right? The broth becomes a dip, and all the ingredients that she prefers...you know, dry...get placed on her plate before any offensive simmering begins. Tortilla Soup is made with shredded chicken, avocado, and hominy among other things and is insanely easy to put together.

Tortilla Soup

2 chicken boneless breasts (about 3/4 pound) rinsed and patted dry (or, you can use a storebought rotisserie chicken like I did above) 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil 1/2 onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced salt and pepper 4 cups chicken broth 1 dried chile pepper 1 15-ounce can hominy (found in international sections of supermarkets; look for Goya) juice from 1 lime various toppings: tortilla chips, avocado chunks, shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the chicken in a medium saucepan, about 2 minutes on each side. (It does not have to be cooked through. If using rotisserie chicken, shred it and continue to next step.) To the same pan, add oil and saute the onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, and salt and pepper over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

Add the broth, chile pepper, and hominy and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred using two forks. Add the shreds back to the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes.

If your kids will only eat the components of this soup and not the soup, lay out the components (chicken, cheese, avocado, etc) on a plate the way they'd find it least offensive. Then ladle the soup servings into bowls, you know, the way it was meant to be served, squeeze lime into each bowl and add the toppings.