'Authentic’ Tortilla Soup

Disclaimer!!!
This is not a photo of my tortilla soup.
This photo was stolen off the internet.
My tortilla soup is actually a lot prettier.....

Parts List

Chicken stock……..a couple of quarts - I think that’s 8 cups.

I make it from scratch at Felix’, but I see no reason you can’t use a canned stock, if you have one you like. If you want to make it from scratch just put a half chicken (I usually throw in a few whole cloves of garlic) in 2 quarts of water, bring it to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer it covered for about an hour. If there is a whole lot of fat floating on top you can skim some of it off. I like to see some globules floating though – adds ‘authenticity’. Even the very richest chicken stock tastes like dishwater until you add salt. So add salt until it tastes like soup then strain it through a colander, putting the chicken aside until it’s cool enough to handle. When it has cooled, remove the meat from the carcass- shred it or chop it into the size you like and reserve it for assembly.

If you want a more elegant broth you can strain it through some cheesecloth or even a kitchen towel (I rarely bother with this unless I’m expecting the President of Mexico or Madonna or somebody to drop in for dinner).

Crispy tortilla strips……..I cut mine into strips about 2 inches long and about the width of fettuccine, others prefer the wider lasagna width and some apostates even cut them into squares or triangles—hey, it’s okay with me. Gonna taste good however you cut them. Fry them in 350-degree oil till they are browned and crispy and put them aside until assembly.

Chicken……..This is optional. About half the tortilla soups I’ve eaten have chicken and about half not. We use the meat in ours and everyone knows we did not use a canned or concentrated or powdered stock.

Vegetables…..This is also optional. Most recipes do not call for any vegetables. I use veggies, because the first tortilla soup I ever ate (in Merida, Yucatan) did and thought it was ‘authentic’. It also reminds me of my mom’s chicken soup. For this amount of soup I would use 1 medium zucchini or chayote, 1 carrot, 1 small onion and one small poblano chile (seeded and deveined) cut into pieces about the size of a dime and parboiled ‘al dente’ then set aside for later assembly.

‘AL DENTE’?? That reminds me that it is time for my obligatory attack on those self-proclaimed celebrity chefs.WHAT A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!
If you watch the food channel you have noticed that every single one of these half-wits that gather every day for their self-congratulatory circle jerk uses the phrase ‘al dente’ at least twice each program. I was eating at a local Italian restaurant recently and there was a real big screw up in the kitchen…all the pasta was coming out crunchy – I mean really crunchy- I mean danger of cutting your gums crunchy…and not a single word of complaint. All around me idiots were saying ” Mmmmm.... ‘al dente’ ”

I don’t know about you but I’m sick and tired of raw carrots, crunchy spaghetti, and bloody chicken. To all those celebrity chefs I say "al dente" this!!!

So for future reference al dente does not mean RAW, al dente does not mean CRUNCHY and al dente does not mean BLOODY!! ALL al dente means is ‘NOT MUSHY’.

Now where was I? Oh yeah, tortilla soup.

Avocado……one medium avocado ripe, but not mushy cut into cubes about the size of your little fingernail should be enough for about six bowls

Dried chiles……..I use 4 or 5 guajillo chiles because I think they have the prettiest color but you can use pasilla, ancho, mulatto or whatever dried red chile you like. We’re using these guys for the color not for heat or flavor so slice them open and remove the seeds and veins. Barely cover the chiles with water and let them soak for 45 minutes or so, then run them through a blender (if you need more liquid add some of the reserved stock) If you’d like to no more about cooking with dried chiles go to my web site (www.felixcabosanlucas.com) click on recipes, then click on cooking with dried chiles. You’ll know more than any of your friends.

Cheese…………We use ‘queso fresco’ broken into pieces about the size of a kidney bean but most restaurants use grated jack cheese. Queso fresco is a fresh Mexican cheese, snow white in color and about the texture of feta cheese – I think it looks real pretty in the soup and besides when you get a big spoon full of jack cheese it’s like eating a bad cheese laden pizza. I don’t know about you but when I’m eating soup I don’t want to do a whole lot of chewing. So don’t overdo the cheese. It’s not available down here but I think a nice fresh mozzarella would be real good and in central Mexico they are apt to use a grated Chihuahua cheese (sort of like a white cheddar)

Garnish………..a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of cilantro although we use a sprig of epazote (a Mexican herb that is probably not available where you are).

Putting it all together…….

Put the reserved chicken stock back on the stove and bring it to a simmer. Add the chicken, the pureed chiles and the parboiled veggies you want the soup to be very, very hot because we’re going to be adding a lot of room temperature ingredients and we wouldn’t want to serve cold soup—would we?

If you are using grated cheese, put about a heaping tablespoon in the bottom of each bowl. If you’re using a crumbled cheese wait for further instructions. Add the avocado and now, the crumbled cheese.

Okay, garnish and serve. Let me know how it turns out.

Oh, one more thing……this is a thin broth soup so the sour cream probably won’t float. So If I’m using a deep bowl- like at the restaurant – I don’t use the sour cream- don’t like the way it looks. If I’m using a wider shallow bowl the sour cream sits on top of the tortillas and looks real pretty with the sprig of something green. Keep it in mind.

'Authentic' Felix Tortilla Soup Recipe.

'Authentic’ Tortilla Soup

Parts List

Putting it all together…….