Tortilla soup (Sopa Azteca)

Soups and sides is this weeks theme at the i heart cooking club. I immediateley decided to finally make the tortilla soup because i was curious about it's taste(i never had any before). My boyfriend didn't like it at all but i liked it very much, and i am glad i still have leftovers for tomorrow.

Rick Bayless says"Like guacamole, tortilla soup has a place, I feel, in practically every collection of Mexican recipes. It’s a filling, flavorful meal that can be made with little effort, but one that sings with an unmistakable Mexican harmony. Earthy dark pasilla chile. The softening crunch of toasty corn tortillas. Soul-satisfying broth. And creamy-rich avocado and cheese.

A note about pasilla (sometimes called negro) chile: Its unique flavor defines tortilla soup in central Mexico. In Michoacan, it’s ancho chile. In your kitchen, it might turn out to be another chile, like New Mexico or even a little smoky chipotle (be forewarned that chipotle will make the broth quite spicy). Though for these everyday recipes I’ve relied heavily on the easier-to-use powdered dried chile, finding powdered pasilla (negro) can be harder than finding the whole pod. Should powdered chile be at your finger tips (be it powdered pasilla (negro), ancho or beyond), add about 1 tablespoon to the pan about halfway through the cooking of the onion.
In Mexico, it’s more common to crush toasted chile pods over the soup than to add it to the base. You can follow that lead, or do both as we do in our restaurants."

Sopa Azteca

Tortilla Soup

Serves 4 to 6
Recipe from Frontera Grill/Topolobampo

Ingredients

1 large dried pasilla (negro) chile, stemmed and seeded I used 1 normal dried chile
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 quarts chicken broth
1 large epazote sprig, if you have one can't find epazote so i left it out
4 (about 1 1/4 pounds total) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Mexican melting cheese (like Chihuahua, quesadilla or asadero) or Monterey Jack, brick or mild cheddar
A generous 4 cups (about 6 ounces) roughly broken tortilla chips
1/2 cup Mexican crema, sour cream or creme fraîche for garnish
1 large lime, cut into 6 wedges, for serving

Directions

Quickly toast the chile by turning it an inch or two above an open flame for a few seconds until its aroma fills the kitchen. (Lacking an open flame, toast it in a dry pan over medium heat, pressing it flat for a few seconds, then flipping it over and pressing it again.) Break the chile into pieces and put in a blender jar along with the tomatoes with their juice. (A food processor will work, though it won’t completely puree the chile.)


Heat the oil in a medium (4-quart) saucepan over medium-high. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 7 minutes. Scoop up the onion and garlic with a slotted spoon, pressing them against the side of the pan to leave behind as much oil as possible, and transfer to the blender. Process until smooth.


Return the pan to medium-high heat. When quite hot, add the puree and stir nearly constantly, until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 6 minutes. Add the broth and epazote, if using. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt, usually about a generous teaspoon (depending on the saltiness of the broth).


Just before serving, add the chicken to the simmering broth. Divide the avocado, cheese and tortilla chips between serving bowls. When the chicken is done, usually about 5 minutes, ladle the soup into the bowls. Garnish with the crema. Pass the lime separately.

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Tropical pink limeade

 

 Salud! is this weeks theme at I heart cooking clubs. And while í am making this post the rain is pouring, but when i made this thirst quensing limeade this week it was very hot outhere and we where really in the mood for this limeade.

It even was a coinsidense that i could get my hand on prickly pears because i never noticed them before in any shop, but now they where there and the taste is great in this lovely pink limeade.

 

 

Tropical Pink Limeade

 

Makes 5 or 6 servings

Courtesy by Rick Bayless
Recipe from Season 3 of Mexico - One Plate at a Time

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups fresh lime juice
1 quart water (use sparkling water for a festive touch)
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
2 or 3 prickly pears

Directions

In a large pitcher, mix together the lime juice, water and smaller amount of sugar. Taste and add more sugar if you think the limonada needs it. Serve over ice.

Cut the ends off 2 or 3 prickly pears (handle prickly pears with latex or rubber gloves or with tongs). Make a shallow slit down the length of each one, then peel away the thick skin; discard. In a small bowl, crush the fruit into a coarse puree, then strain the puree into the limeade mixture. Taste and add more lime or sugar if necessary.


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