Southwest Salsa Soup With Lime Cream

From Dave DeWitt of fiery-foods.com. He writes: "Using a commercial salsa as a base for this soup makes it quick and easy to prepare, as well as allowing you to choose your spice level, from mild to wild. The heat of the salsa will intensify, so we don’t recommend you use a habanero-based salsa or any other that is too hot. This simple soup can also be made more hearty with the addition of cooked pinto or black beans, chicken or turkey, or even whole-kernel corn. Add these to the soup after it has been pureed. For the taste of green chile and chicken enchiladas in soup form, just use green chile salsa and add chicken."

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 -3  teaspoons  vegetable oil
• 1  cup onion, chopped
• 2  teaspoons garlic, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 cups salsa, tomato-based
• 3  cups chicken broth, preferably homemade
• 2  corn tortillas, torn into pieces
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
•  salt, to taste
•  pepper, freshly ground, to taste
• 1⁄4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2  tablespoons lime juice, preferably fresh
• 1⁄2 cup sour cream
• 1⁄4 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Heat a heavy saucepan or stockpot over medium-high heat, add the oil, and when hot, add the onions and sauté until they are soft. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for an additional minute.
2. Stir in the salsa, broth, tortillas, cumin, and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the tortillas are soft. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
3. Put the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings and stir in the cilantro.
4. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with a dollop of lime cream, as follows:
5. Combine lime juice, sour cream, and heavy cream in a bowl and stir to mix. Refrigerate any cream that is not used.