From the movie “Tortilla Soup,” where the food for the set was prepared by chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, better known the Too Hot Tamales. This recipe came from www.jalape o.com, reproduced from the Dallas Morning News. Serves 10.
Ingredients
5 garlic cloves peeled
10 Roma tomatoes, cored and quartered
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken stock
1 dried chipotle chile, stemmed and seeded
3/4 pound tortilla chips
1 bunch (1/2 cup) cilantro leaves
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup crema (available in Mexican markets or make your own with recipe below)
2 limes cut in wedges
Directions
Place garlic and tomatoes in blender until smooth. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over low heat. Add onion, salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until pale brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and cook 10 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
Pour in chicken stock and add the chipotle chile. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir in the tortilla chips and cook 10 minutes longer until the chips soften. Remove and discard the chili.
Serve hot with cilantro, avocado, crema, lime wedges and some extra crisp fried tortilla chips for adding at the table.
Crema: Whisk together 2 cups heavy cream and 1/4 cup buttermilk. Cover and set in a warm place (a gas oven with just the heat from the pilot light is fine) for 8 hours. Crema may be kept in the refrigerator for as long as a week.
Wine ideas: Drink up the soup; it’ll cure whatever ails you. If you need a drink on the side, reach for a Bohemia: the alcohol in a beer is lower than that of wine, and so it won’t start a fire when it hits the chile pepper heat like many wines would. -Tara Q. Thomas
