How you doin’? I hate it when I go to a Mexican restaurant and order Tortilla Soup and it comes to the table thin, watery, greasy and pissy. That’s not what authentic Tortilla soup is supposed to taste like. The best Tortilla Soup is from one of the best known 5-star hotels in Los Angeles, The Hotel Bel-Air.
 
Long before Wolfgang Puck took over the foodservices at The Hotel Bel-Air, they had several signature dishes served in the Café. One of my favorites was the original Tortilla Soup. The executive director and our client shared the hotel’s original famous Tortilla Soup recipe with me.
 
Hotel Bel-Air is very popular with many famous and wealthy Hollywood celebrities as well as titans of business and world dignitaries, all who are attracted by the luxury and privacy of the hotel. Well-known and legendary guests including Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.
 
Aside from the beauty of the property the service and hospitality at The Restaurant are big draws and, of course, you couldn’t have al fresco lunch or dinner without enjoying a bowl of their famous Tortilla Soup.
 
After several hotel and restaurant renovations, the Tortilla Soup remained on the menu at The Restaurant with only slight changes to the original recipe. If you are so inclined, try the Original—follow the directions below.
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Cook time:  45 minutes
Yield:  5 10-ounce servings
 
Ingredients 
For the soup:
1/8 cup corn oil
5 corn tortillas (6”), chopped
1/8 cup fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 large fresh brown onion, pureed
1/2 tablespoon cumin
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicier)
9 ounces tomato puree
1/2 cup chicken base (I prefer Better Than Bouillon)
8 cups hot water
 
Ingredients & Setup for a single serving portion
1-1/4 cups prepared tortilla soup (from recipe above)
1/4 cup fried corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons grilled chicken, julienne cut
1 tablespoon Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon avocado, peeled and cubed
1 fresh cilantro sprig
1 fresh lime wedge
 
Directions

1. In a saucepan, heat the corn oil and sauté 2-ounces of chopped tortillas with garlic and cilantro. 
2. Add the onions and bring to a hot sauté.
3. Add cumin, bay leaf, cayenne and tomato puree.
4. Combine chicken base and water to make a stock; add this chicken stock to the above ingredients. 
5. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Strain through a fine strainer and remove all large particles.
7. Add the remaining 3 ounces of chopped tortillas and puree with an immersion blender.
8. Ladle 10 ounces of hot soup into a heated soup bowl.
9. Garnish each bowl with fried tortilla strips, chicken pieces, cheese, avocado, cilantro and lime.
10. If your soup doesn’t look like mine, it isn’t the real thing.
11. Serve hot.

ChefSecret:  When making creamy smooth soups one indispensable tool is an immersion blender, also known as stick blender.  It is a kitchen blade grinder used to blend ingredients or purée food in the container in which they are being prepared. Prices for the home units range from $30 to $150.

Quip of the Day:  Q. What do tortillas use to stay in shape? A. A tortilla press!
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Entree #CocinaTortillaSoup #HotelBelAirRestaurant #TortillaSoup #Chicken #Avocado #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                                            ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? Growing up in my household a surprise dinner may have been when all the labels had been removed. My mother was not a very creative cook, which is why I chose a culinary career—to survive. Sorry, Mom. I have survived very well… as anyone can see I carry an extra 10 pounds on my belly—remember all those starving children in China?
 
Recently I saw an idea for cooking a complete meal with just convenience ingredients—fresh, frozen and shelf-stable. If you’re on a budget this hearty stew/soup or STOUP, as I like to call it, costs less than $4 per serving.
 
All you need to make this simple meal is just chicken broth, frozen meatballs, tortellini, jarred pesto, and baby spinach—really… that’s it. I even have a vegetarian version, substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth and ditch the meatballs.
 
This is a simple shortcut dinner using a handful of fresh spinach that feels fresher and more special than a frozen meal, or an expensive prepared meal solution from the supermarket. My STOUP is a one-dish meal that couldn’t be easier. It’s also packed with flavor coming directly from the ingredients themselves and it feels fancy enough that I wouldn’t hesitate to serve it to unexpected guests. Everyone will think you slaved over a hot stove for hours. 
 
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time:  30 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients 
1 (32-ounce) carton organic low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 pound package fully cooked frozen Italian-style meatballs
10-ounce package spinach tortellini
1 (6.7-ounce) jarred pesto
3-ounces fresh baby spinach
grated parmesan, optional for garnish
fresh parsley, optional for garnish
 
Directions

1. Pour the broth into a 3-quart or larger saucepan along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
2. Add the frozen meatballs (no need to defrost), bring them to a simmer, and cook until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
3. Skim off any “scum” from the top.
4. Add the tortellini and simmer until they are all floating and puffed up, about 4 minutes.
5. Lower the heat and add half of the jar of pesto and all of the baby spinach. Stir to combine and wilt the spinach.
6. Give it a taste test and add more pesto to taste.
7. Serve hot.

ChefSecret:  Here’s an option for you, I like to top with my STOUP with grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with fresh parsley. You can also add other vegetables like carrots, mushrooms and onions... whatever makes you happy. 

For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth, skip the meatballs, and simply cook the pasta. Add all of the pesto and spinach and salt to taste. Adding a drained can of white Cannellini beans is a nice addition in place of the meatballs which makes it a heartier meal.

Quip of the Day:  Q. How do you turn stew into gold?  A. Add 24 carrots!
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Entree #Soup #Stew #Stoup #Tortellini #Meatball #Pesto #Spinach #SpinachTortelliniSoup #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? Grandmother Gray lived in New York, and I only met her once before she passed. I was about 11 years old, and she decided to let all the stops out for dinner with her famous one course soup.
 
My mother had told me that she made the best chicken soup in the world—and that’s what the meal was. The soup was a winner made with tender, pulled roasted chicken and pasta shells bathed in a creamy, cheesy sauce flavored with garlic and slivers of sweet sun-dried tomatoes.
 
In my recipe, chicken broth is infused with a healthy dose of garlic and both the oil and tomatoes from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Adding pasta and spinach to the dish along with the chicken presents what many will accept as a complete meal. Near the end add the softened cream cheese and Parmesan cheese to melt into the broth turning the soup ultra-rich and creamy.
 
To make my speedy soup start with cooked chicken. You can shred any leftovers you’ve got on hand or grab a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. Soften the cream cheese to room temperature so it blends more easily into the soup. If you want to use a different pasta shape instead of the small shells, like orecchiette or campanelle, make sure to check the package for recommended cooking times to get to al dente.
 
Serve my Grandma’s Chicken Soup with crusty French or Italian bread or soft King’s Hawaiian rolls to sop up every last bit of the rich, creamy soup.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  30 to 35 minutes
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients 
2 tablespoons oil from a jar of olive oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
8 tablespoons minced garlic
3/4 cup drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes with herbs
3 tablespoons tomato paste
8 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons roasted chicken base (I prefer Better Than Bouillon)
6 ounces (about 1-1/2 cups) uncooked pasta shells
1 cup coarsely chopped baby spinach
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 (8-ounce) cubed and softened package cream cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus a little more for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh sweet basil, plus a little more for garnish
 
Directons
Make the tomato base

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the sun-dried tomato oil over medium heat until shimmering, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste turns a slightly deeper red, about 2 minutes.

Cook the broth

1. Pour in the broth, salt and chicken base and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors blossom, about 6 minutes.

Cook the pasta

1. Add the pasta and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Finish the soup

1. Turn the heat to low and stir in the spinach, cooked chicken, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and basil, stirring often, until the cream cheese and Parmesan are melted, and the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.
2. Bring the heat higher if the soup cools too much.
3. Ladle the soup into heated bowls, garnish with more Parmesan and fresh basil.

Store:  Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The pasta will continue to soak up the broth the longer it sits, but will still be delicious. If you need to add more stock or water to make it soupier, add half a cup at a time.

ChefSecret:  Squish any cream cheese chunks against the side of the pot as needed as it cooks to help it melt and mix into the soup evenly.

Quip of the Day:  Why did the principal bring chicken noodle soup to school? To get the favor of the soup-erintendent.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Entree #Soup #ChickenSoup #BetterThanBouillon #KingsHawaiian #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                                                ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025