Spicy Mexican soup with shrimp

Tortilla soup meets wild-caught Maine shrimp. An improbable, but perfect marriage of Tex-Mex and New England. Just the right food after a cold day of sledding and snow fort building, this spicy, flavorful soup will warm you up. Warning: your littles may not appreciate it. My most adventurous eater gobbled it up (but asked for milk to kill the capsaicin burn). The two others didn't eat it at all.

Spicy Mexican soup with shrimp
Adapted from a recipe originally published in Bon Appétit, November 2000

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 roasted poblano pepper, finely chopped (you could skip roasting this, and sauté with the rest of the vegetables)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
8 cups chicken broth
1 28-ounce can golden hominy, drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes with liquid
2 teaspoons canned chipotle chiles, seeds removed and finely chopped

1 pound uncooked small shrimp, peeled and deveined
blue tortilla chips
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
lime wedges (optional)
avocado (optional)

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, minced garlic, dried oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Sauté until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, golden hominy, roasted poblano, crushed tomatoes, frozen corn, and chipotle chiles. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes uncovered. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add shrimp. Raise heat to high, and cook until opaque in center, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Serve soup over crumbled blue tortilla chips. Top with chopped avocado and/or cilantro. Serve soup, passing lime wedges separately.

A deliciously colorful soup