Restaurant Recipes
Frontera Grill Tortilla Soup
This spicy soup, jazzed up with the flavors of Mexico, is a great start to a south-of-the-border meal!
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 6 corn tortillas, halved
- Canola oil, for frying
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
- 1 small white onion, sliced
- 2 pasilla chiles or 1 ancho chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 1 (15 ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, or 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
- 6 cups unsalted chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 1 large sprig epazote (a Mexican herb) or cilantro (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 6 ounces queso fresco (a Mexican white cheese), farmer cheese, Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar, crumbled or shredded
- 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 1 large lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Cut tortillas into 1/4 inch thick strips. In a medium (2 quart) saucepan, heat 1/2 inch oil over medium flame until the edge of a tortilla strip inserted in oil sizzles vigorously. Add half tortilla strips. Stir until golden brown and crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Pour off all but a thin coating of hot oil. Add garlic and onion and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, press garlic against side of pan to leave behind as much oil as possible, then transfer garlic and onion to a blender or food processor.
- Add chile pieces to hot pan. Turn quickly as they fry and release a delicious aroma, about 30 seconds in all. (Frying too long will make them bitter.) Transfer to paper towels to drain; set pan aside. Chop chiles when cooled.
- Puree tomatoes with garlic mixture in the blender or food processor until smooth. If using fresh tomatoes, strain puree to remove pieces of tomato skin. Heat same saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomato puree and stir until thickens to consistency of tomato paste, about 10 minutes. Add stock and epazote; bring to a boil, then partially cover and gently simmer over medium-low heat 30 minutes. Add salt.
- To serve, divide the cheese and avocado among warmed soup bowls. Ladle broth into each bowl; top with tortilla strips and a sprinkle of fried chiles.
- Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Recommended ingredients: Ancho chiles and epazote are available in Mexican markets.
Attribution
Posted by GayleL at Recipe Goldmine 5:57:53pm 2/22/03.
Source: Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill, Chicago, Illinois