Tortilla Soup

Continuing on our theme of Mexican dishes for Cinco de Mayo, I have a Mexican classic for you today, Tortilla Soup. While it seems that there are a lot of steps to this dish, it really isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Perhaps the most important thing is to have a good thermometer (and knowing how to use it! That means no touching of the bottom of the pan!) you can use to get the proper oil temperature to fry the tortillas in. On the bright side, it only takes on 4 quart pot to make everything in so cleanup is easy. My version is inspired by a recipe I got from Rick Bayless. Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

Serves 4

6 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1 small onion, sliced
2 dried pasilla chiles stemmed, seeded and cut or torn into several flat pieces (Author’s note: It used to be  that coming up with specific varieties of dried chiles was difficult if you didn’t have a specialty food market close by. That’s not the case anymore as the Internet has made these readily available.)
2 medium tomatoes or 1 15 ounce can of whole tomatoes drained (More author’s notes: I’ve noted in the past that in the winter tomatoes aren’t really good as they are force ripened, have terrible color, and completely lack in flavor. It is perfectly acceptable to use canned tomatoes in these instances.)
6 cups chicken broth (The author is quite chatty today: make your own broth. It is simple and WAY better than store bought. Learn how to make it here.)
1 large sprig of epazote (Are all these interruptions really necessary?: OK, I’ll give it to you that this might be difficult to come by. Epazote is a fresh Mexican herb and you will need to get this at a specialty store. If you can’t find it, substitute cilantro or parsley, about 1/4 cup.)
1/2 tsp salt
6 ounce queso fresco, crumbled (Mexican crumbling cheese) (Seriously, he never shuts up: This also may be difficult to come by. substitute farmers cheese or feta if you can’t find the queso fresco.)
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
1 lime cut into wedges

To prepare the tortillas: Cut the tortillas in half and then into 1/4 inch wide strips. Fill your 4 quart pot to a depth of 1/2 inch with vegetable oil. Bring the oil up to a temperature of 350° F. Add half the tortilla strips and cook, stirring continuously until they are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining tortilla strips.

To prepare the onion and garlic: Pour off all but a thin coating of the hot oil. (You thought he was done interrupting. So didn’t I: This oil will be hot so make sure you drain it into something designed to hold hot stuff. I prefer Pyrex and a 2 cup measuring cup should do the trick. You can let the oil cool and reuse it.) Return the pot to medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until golden. Remove the onion and garlic with a slotted spoon to a blender.

To prepare the chiles: Throw the chile pieces into the pan, there should still be enough oil left in the pan, you only need a very thin coat. Fry the chiles briefly, just until they start to release their aroma (about 30 seconds). Remove to drain on paper towels.

To prepare the broth: Add the tomatoes to the blender with the onions and garlic and puree. If you used fresh tomatoes, run this through a strainer to remove the pieces of skin. Set your pan over medium high heat and add the puree. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. You want it to be the consistency of tomato paste. Add your chicken broth and the sprig of epazote and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and gently simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the salt.

Pulling it all together: Divide the cheese and avocado equally among the bowls. Ladle broth over the cheese and avocado. Top with a generous handful of the fried tortilla strips and crumble on a piece or two of the toasted chile.