A Trip South of the Border

When I originally sat down at the computer to type my recipe for tortilla soup, it was quite chilly in the Los Angeles area, a term that I realize is somewhat vague, especially for my friends living in Chicago and Boston. Chilly to me is 50 degrees, and the mercury actually dropped to below 40 a few nights ago. Over that blessed few days where it actually felt like December, I went soup crazy. My kitchen was a little nest of warmth from which it was hard to pry myself away from. Quart containers were filled with a veritable smorgasbord of tasty winter treats and the freezer is now too full to put the ice trays back in. I couldn’t help myself. Days off and cold temperatures are too tempting, and I get a little Monica with the cooking.
In honoring the month of soups, I knew that tortilla soup would have to be one of the recipes, considering my love of all things south of the border. The right blend of rich dried chilies and fresh tomatoes cooked together and topped with whatever is around the kitchen is a wonderful way to end a day, in my humble opinion. The best thing about a soup like this is that it is totally adjustable. Very little of the outcome requires precise measuring, and if you like things a little spicier, more potent chilies are easily substituted.

Roasted Chili and Tomato Tortilla soup

2 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 dried California chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 large ripe tomatoes, halved
1 large onion, sliced into 8 wedges
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus sprigs for garnishing
6 cups of chicken stock.
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
4 corn tortillas, cut into ¼ inch strips
Cooking spray
Kosher salt as needed
For garnishes: 1 large avocado, cut into ½ inch chunks; sour cream

Preheat broiler to high. Place a large sheet of foil on a rimmed baking sheet. Place tomatoes, cut side down on foil, along with onions and garlic. Broil for approximately 10 minutes, until tomatoes start to blacken on top, checking to prevent burning. For last 30 seconds, place chiles on baking sheet. Remove from oven and add to food processor, along with accumulated juices. Remove foil from pan and sprinkle tortilla strips evenly on pan. Spray with cooking spray to coat and broil for 5 minutes, until they start to brown and crisp. Remove from oven and set aside.



Add cilantro to chili/tomato mix and process until well combine, pulsing often to break up chiles. This should take a minute or two. Season with ½ tsp of salt. Add puree to large saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by half, around 10-15minutes. Pour in stock, oregano and sugar and cook over medium low heat for 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding another ½ tsp if needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream and cilantro sprigs as desired. Serves 4.