Murphy's Restaurant Tortilla Soup

Source: Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona - Murphy's Restaurant, Prescott, Arizona

Yields 8 servings

2 ears corn, cut off kernels to make 1 cup corn
2 tablespoons sweet butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup Anaheim chile peppers, seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
4 cups (1 quart) chicken stock
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups tortilla chips, broken into small pieces
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated

Cut raw kernels off of corn cob with a sharp knife.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, chile pepper and corn. 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 the spices. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock cilantro and chicken. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

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