Steve’s Tortilla Soup - Super in winter, Lupi’s Original recipe

This Lupi soup is a favorite for Cinco de Mayo, as not all ingredients were readily available, hence this is my version, and is both warming in winter and delicious.

The skin of the chicken when fried crisp makes for excellent topping for the soup, but pat dry with paper towels.

4 Skinless,boneless Chicken thigh-leg section 
3 large tomatoes cut up or hunts 28 oz diced tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, crushed (Cooked in spice bag)

2 cans Indian corn or hominy or Delmonte cream style corn

1 poblano peppers, cut up, seeded, torn up(taste, if too hot, use less)

1/2 cup sliced carrot 

1/2  cup celery

2 cans Pinto beans (Bush)

1 1/2 large sweet onion cut up

2 teaspoons Oregano

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Sea Salt (intially, correct seasoning before serving)

1 tablespoon of Paprika for color

Garnish:

Avocado

Tortilla chips
1 tablespoon Cheese (usually Queso fresco or Monterey Jack) per person
1 tablespoon Sour cream
Cilantro

scallions, diced diagonally (optionally)

1/4 Lime slices , one person 

Serve with Sriracha or Texas Pete sauce to those that like it hot. Also, correct seasonings.

Topping

Tortilla strips toasted or cicirones

Cook first ingredient with spices for four hours in water, adding more water if needed during the cooking. Skim surface the first two hours.

Add poblano, celery, carrots, pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, corn and cook a further 60 minutes. Serve with garnishes.

Pepper and Salt Squid

Traditionally, the squid is coated in cornstarch and then fried, yielding an airier crunch, but the mixture of semolina flour, all-purpose flour, and cornmeal makes for an extra hearty crunch with a real depth of flavor.

1 lb. Squid

Cornstarch

Flour

Semolina

Oil

Jalapeños thin slices

Red bell peppers or red hot pepper

Shousongt wine

Marin

Sesame oil

Garlic

Ginger

Black pepper, course

White pepper, fine

Salt

Garnish with parsley and diagonally sliced scallions

Marinate the squid in the shaoxing wine and sesame oil. Toss gently and set aside.

In a medium deep pot, add oil. Heat the oil until the temperature reaches 333F.

While you’re waiting for the oil to heat, prepare your dry mixture. Combine the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, cornmeal, salt, and white pepper , black pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.

When oil is hot, dredge the squid in the dry mixture. Fry the squid around two minutes, drain. Set on a plate. Salt to taste.

Fry the cut up Jalapeños, Red bell peppers, minced garlic, minced ginger in your wok until cooked. Toss with squid, sprinkle with a bit of Marin.

Garnish with greens.

Beef and Green Pepper with Black Bean Sauce Chow Fun

Wide rice noodles(chow fun)

Bean Sprouts*
Dark soy

Optionally, oyster sauce ( omit, if alergic to shellfish) ***
Red and green bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
One large sweet onion, cut in pieces
1 lb beef steak, cut into bite size pieces
5 scallions, cut into thirds, diagonally 
Ginger, minced
Garlic, minced

Black beans, fermented

1 Tbls. Shaosing Wine

Marin

1 tsp. Black vinegar

1tsp. Sugar

3 Tbls. Peanut oil

1 Tbls. Corn starch and 1 Tbls. + 1/2 tsp baking soda + Above oil to marinate the meat

Chow fun are wide noodles, normally pre-cooked and kept from sticking with a little oil. Marinate the meat** with corn starch, baking soda,  and oil, a splash of Shaohsing wine. In your wok, add a bit of oil, garlic and ginger, cooking til done about a minute, add beef and it’s marinade, and cook to just done. Set aside. 

Cook scallion, bean sprout, peppers, and onions. Add in chow fun noodles, cooking until noodles take on some color and smoky flavor, add back meat, fermented black beans, Marin, black vinegar, sugar. Heat a couple of minutes more.

Serve hot

Notes:

* As bean sprouts no longer are sold, they’re difficult to find. Substitute either jicama or bamboo shouts.

** To tenderise and treat the meat, soak 1 hour in water, drain, pat dry. Cut the meat against the grain on the slant, exposing more grain. Then smack each piece with the side of your cleaver. This makes the piece thinner ang seperate the fibres in the meat. Consequently, make cuts accordingly.

**** Oyster sauce can be on the table.