Soup that stays on the simple side
The following is an excerpt from Leticia Moreinos Schwartz’s “Latin Superfoods,” which will be published Oct. 15.
I usually keep this soup on the simple side, using chicken, queso blanco, cilantro and tortilla as garnishes, but you can be creative and go crazy with all of the chunky stuff you can put in the soup: avocados, sour cream, or more cheese. Serve the side dishes in small bowls and people can add whatever they want to the soup.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
For the soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 yellow onion, peeled, and roughly chopped,
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper Freshly ground nutmeg 1 ½ lb plum tomatoes (or you can also use one 28oz can crushed tomatoes), roughly chopped
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and coarsely chopped
8 cups chicken stock 2 chicken breasts cooked, and shredded, about 2 ½ to 3 cups
For the tortillas:
6 wheatflour tortillas, cut into thin strips (about ½ inch)
¼ cup canola oil for frying
For the Garnish:
¼ cup freshly chopped Cilantro
8 oz queso fresco (or feta cheese)
⏩ In a large saucepan, prepare the soup. Pour the olive oil over medium heat and cook the garlic until just lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Add the onions, and mix, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
⏩ Add the tomatoes and cook, until they start to soften and mush down.
⏩ Add the chipotle (more, if desired) and mix well.
⏩ Pour the chicken stock and simmer the soup, covered, over low heat, checking occasionally, until the tomatoes are very soft, about 30 minutes.
⏩ In the meantime, fry the tortillas in a nonstick skillet, warm the oil over medium heat.
⏩ Add the tortilla strips in batches, stirring, until golden and crisp. Be careful that the tortillas don’t get too dark, or else they burn.
⏩ Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the tortillas to a plate lined with parchment paper. I like to sprinkle a little salt as they come out of the pan. Repeat the process until all tortillas are golden.
⏩ Check the soup and turn off the heat.
⏩ Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, until it’s nice and smooth. If soup is way too hot for the blender, let the soup breathe for five minutes before pureeing.