Sopa de Tortilla

Tortilla Soup

This is one of my favorite recipes because it combines french technique with a very traditional Mexican dish. The clarified consomé adds a deep chicken flavor that no grocery store alternative can match. The strained adobo in turn imparts the unique flavor of the pasilla. The various garnishes provide layers of flavor and texture. Overall, a fun and delicious dish to make that can flex your culinary skills, but is still simple enough if you want to use store bought consomé or bouillon.

Ingredients

Serves 6-8

6 quarts
homemade chicken consomé
1
medium yellow onion
2 cloves
garlic
4
chiles pasilla
2
chiles ancho
1
chile de arbol
1 sprig
oregano
3
roma tomatoes
5oz
queso fresco (ranchero)
2
avocados
mexican cream
cilantro leaves
salt
cumin
oil for frying

Instructions

The Adobo and Consomé

  1. Trim the dried chilis by cutting the stem off and shaking the seeds off. Then, cut lengthwise to open the chilies.
  2. Heat a cast iron pan for 3-5 minutes. Add a small amount of oil and then toast one chili at a time. Each side only needs 7-10 seconds. If you leave it for too long, the chili will burn.
  3. Place the toasted chilis in a metal bowl and add enough boiling water to cover them. Rehydrate them for 10 minutes.
  4. To a blender, add the onion, garlic, rehydrated chili, the tomatoes, 1/2 of the oregano bunch (leafs only), a tbsp of salt, and a tsp of cumin.
  5. Blend using the water you used to rehydrate the chilis until you get a semi thick paste.
  6. Bring your consomé to a light boil and strain the adobo so only the liquid mixes with the consomé. The broth should be a deep red. Taste and correct for salt – if bland but not necessarily under salted, try adding a splash of white wine vinegar.

Garnish City

  1. Cut your tortillas into thin julienne strips.
  2. Make thin, hollow rounds out of another pasilla chile.
  3. Bring frying oil around 360 degrees F. In batches, fry the chile and tortilla. The tortilla should come out a pale yellow, which will brown out the oil into a golden color.
    1. Place the tortillas into a container lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
  4. Cut the avocado and the queso fresco into 1/2 in. by 1/2 in. cubes.
  5. Separate the cilantro leaves from the stem.

Plating

  1. Serve the broth into a bowl. Add the tortillas, chiles, and cubed garnishes. Drizzle Mexican cream and finish with fresh cilantro leaves.
  2. Enjoy!
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