Bistro (Spiddal, Ireland)

On our way out to explore Connemara, northwest of Galway, we stopped for lunch at this little bistro, just outside Spiddal, and tried to see what we could of the scenery. It was a really cozy atmosphere, and as usual, we split a bowl of soup and a sandwich to hold us over to supper.

Both were good, but as was also the norm in Ireland, the service was pretty slow. You have to learn to adhere to their laid-back vibe and just go with it. In Ireland, there is really no such thing as a "quick bite". A "quick" meal there is an hour.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

DISCLAIMER

I'm going to start by putting a disclaimer on this puppy: IT WILL TAKE YOU FOREVER TO MAKE THIS!!

And it's not that the recipe is complicated - it absolutely is not. But when you're dicing 6 different veggies, and shred 2 large chicken breasts, it's just tedious, and well...it takes time. So if you have 2-3 hours to make this, go for it - you won't be sorry! But if you're looking for a quick soup, look elsewhere.

Backstory

I decided to try this the first time a couple years ago when I was expecting my Mom and sister in town to celebrate my 26th birthday. I thought it'd be nice to have a pot of soup on for supper that day, so I found this recipe on SparkRecipes.com (again - a GREAT resource for healthy recipes) - thanks sparker AUTUMNINNY.

The Recipe

2 lg chicken breasts, poached and shredded
5 small carrots, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large orange bell pepper, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes (or 3 1/2 C chopped fresh tomatoes)
1 (32oz) box chicken stock
1 small package frozen corn
3 finely chopped chipotle peppers (REMOVE THE SEEDS!!!)
1 (15oz) can black beans
salt and pepper to taste

Topping (optional): corn tortilla chips and shredded Monterrey jack cheese

The Prep Work

Remember that part where I said this recipe took forever and a day to make? Yeah, the prep is the biggest part. I started by dicing and dicing and dicing for what seemed like hours.

The carrots


The 2 different bell peppers, onion and chipotle peppers

Let's Get Started

First, I poached (a.k.a. boiled) the chicken breasts for 20 minutes in a boiling pot of water with salt and a few bay leaves.


While I was waiting for the chicken breasts to cook through, I sauteed the carrots in 1 Tbsp olive oil for 10 minutes in a large skillet, until they were nice and soft.


I then added the peppers and the onion and sauteed in yet another Tbsp olive oil until they were nice and tender.



Once the chicken was poached (i.e. done boiling), I got to work shredding it.


When everything was cooked nicely, I added it to a large stockpot, along with the shredded chicken, crushed tomatoes, corn, black beans and chicken broth.



You let it simmer pretty much as long as you feel like. I generally only let the flavors blend about 20 minutes or so, but I don't think longer would hurt.

You really won't be disappointed in this, but WHOA does it ever take time to make.