Kick Ass Tortilla soup.

inspired by the astounding tortilla soup they got over there at the Xel Ha restaurant down the street....

ingredients:
6 TBS vegetable oil
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas, coursely chopped
6 (or more) cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 (29 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS chili powder
3 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Do this:
1. in large pot heat the oil. add tortillas, garlic, cilantro, and onion. saute for 5-6 minutes. you want the tortilla chunks to get a little crispy. otherwise, they'll completely dissolve in the soup and everyone will point and laugh when you say its "tortilla soup". it'll still taste really good, it'll just look a little weird.

2. stir in tomatoes, and bring to a boil. dump in everything else. make it boil again, then cover and let simmer for, i dunno, 30 minutes or so. remember to remove the bay leaves.