Tortilla Soup

this is a Wolfgang Puck recipe, so you know it's good. in red are changes i made, just cause.

2 ears fresh corn, kernels scraped off i used frozen
4 or 5 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 small onion, peeled, trimmed and quartered
1 small jalapeno pepper, trimmed and seeded
2 T corn oil i only had canola on hand
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
2 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch squares
1 pasilla chile pepper, soaked in water didn't use
2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped i left the skin on, too tricky to get off
2 T tomato paste
2 to 3 t ground cumin
2 quarts chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:pick and choose
2 corn tortillas, cut into strips and baked to crispness i just used chips
1 ripe avocado, diced
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Using a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or a large knife, coarsely chop the garlic, onion, jalapeno pepper and corn kernels. Reserve.

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sear the chicken until just browned on both sides. Add the tortilla squares, and cook over low heat until they are slightly crisp. Stir in the chopped vegetable mixture and pasilla pepper and simmer until the veggies are coated with the oil. Do not brown.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and 2 t of the cumin and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes to maximize the flavor. Slowly pour in the stock and cook over low heat until the soup is reduced by 1/3 and the chicken breast is cooked through.

Remove the chicken breast and set aside. When cool enough to handle, slice chicken into very thin strips. (I shredded the chicken.) Meanwhile, puree the soup, in batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth. (I didn't puree the soup. I like chunky tortilla soup. It was great. If you do go the puree route, make sure the puree in batches because too much hot soup in a blender=explosion.)

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish to your heart's content!! Enjoy!