Mexico City Tortilla Soup
Prep Time: 45 mins | Servings: 6 (with leftovers for Monday night dinner...)
PERFECT FOR: Sunday Football
SOUP STORY
This is a rustic soup inspired by the soup I fell in love with in Mexico City when Rich and I were also falling in love in Mexico City. The tortilla flavor found in the broth in Mexico was a mystery to me and we did not find it replicated at our favorite Mexican restaurants in the U.S. Over time and testing, we found a way to recreate it. This soup makes me giggle because it reminds me of our fun time in Mexico and I love watching Rich go back for seconds every time!
INGREDIENTS
1 8 ounce bag of organic tortilla chips (Green Mountain Gringo is my pick for this soup)
26 ounces of chopped Pomi tomatoes (one small box)
Splash of good olive oil
1 Spanish Onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 cups chicken Broth (or more for your desired texture. For a vegetarian option you can replace with a tomato broth)
5 ears of corn or one small bag of organic frozen corn
2 roasted chickens, skin off and shredded (for a vegetarian option, consider replacing with pozole or chick peas)
1 bunch of cilantro, rinsed, de-stemmed and chopped
Fresh limes
Accoutrements for Serving: fresh cilantro, sour cream, diced avocados, shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese, fresh limes
DIRECTIONS
Grab a large stockpot, warm a drizzle of good olive oil to coat the bottom
Add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes
Add ½ of the chopped cilantro and reserve the rest for the accoutrements
Stir in the box of Pomi chopped tomatoes
Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a simmer
In your Cuisinart, add the tortilla chips and crush to a bread crumb type texture
Add the tortilla chips to the pot and simmer uncovered, until the flavors have blended, about 30 minutes. (I know you are asking yourself-what? But trust me on this!)
Process the soup in the pot with an immersion blender or if you don’t have one, puree in batches in a Cuisinart, but fully blend the ingredients. It will form a thick, paste like texture
Return to the pot if using the Cuisinart and bring to a simmer over medium heat
Add the shredded chicken, corn and remainder of the broth to the pot
Reduce the heat to low, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring often, until the flavors have blended. It is important that the heat is low and that you stir this soup often. If you don’t the bottom of the pot will burn...
Add additional chicken broth or chopped tomatoes to your desired flavor and texture. I had to play with this a while until we loved it
Add salt and pepper and season to taste
Squeeze a couple of limes into this soup or alternatively let guests add their own to taste
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and allow guests to garnish their own. Offer sour cream, cilantro, shredded cheese, fresh chopped avocado and squeeze the lime to taste
