Know what I hate about the internet? There’s a lot of garbage recipes out there. After many hours of searching, via google books search, I located this book (A Cook’s Tour of Mexico), which I bought solely for this recipe. The technique is toast (not roast) tomato, onion, and garlic, throw it in the blender with chicken stock, then fry the puree in oil before adding more stock. This maximizes the flavor and makes a really delicious soup base.

Tortilla soup can be found at many restaurants, and I usually am not impressed. Baja Fresh makes my favorite and this recipe tastes similar to me and incorporates the same necessary add-ons: tortilla strips, avocado, and cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Soup base:

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 TB vegetable oil
• 2 small sprigs “epazote”
• salt
• pepper

Extras (In order of necessity):

• 2 cups cubed or crumbled cheese like quesillo de oaxaca, monterey jack, or mozzarella
• 3 limes halved or quartered
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• fried tortilla strips
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• fried chile strips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Toast the garlic, tomato and onion in a cast iron skillet lined with aluminum foil on medium heat. Stir frequently to ensure vegetables do not burn (a slight char is ok). Evenly toasted is the goal. This will take about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add onion and garlic to blender. Let tomato sit in a bag or sealed container for a few minutes to steam itself. Remove tomatoes and peel off skin and remove core from centers. Add tomatoes to blender along with 1/4 cup chicken stock. Blend thoroughly into a puree.
3. Heat oil in stock pot to med-high heat. Add puree and “fry” it for two minutes. Reduce heat to simmer for an additional 5 minutes until the puree is thickened/darkened.
4. Add remaining chicken stock and epazote. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes covered with lid.
5. Prepare chicken