Tortilla Soup - Sopa de Tortilla

Times have certainly changed.  The way we interact with one another on a daily basis has certainly changed from our parent’s time.  This revolution in technology has enriched my life in many ways.  I have connected with so many friends I thought I would never hear from again.  Due to this advancement, I have made friends from all over the world.  People that I do not think I would ever have the opportunity of meeting, much less becoming friends. 

I have become friends with some people on twitter because we share the same addiction to watching the Real Housewives franchise on Bravo TV.  DO not judge, everyone has their own escape, and mine happens to be this ridiculously scripted show.  I signed on to twitter because two of the New Jersey housewives were feuding so I started to follow.   Before I knew it, I had become part of the followers.  I chimed in with my opinion occasionally, but mainly kept to myself.  Some of the fans are so vicious they attack anyone that says something about their beloved housewife.   This is how a met a very sweet girl from Mexico living in California with her husband.  I did not know her name except for her twitter name, Pat_ybirivi.  We became friends because we would get a kick out of the hard-core fans and their fits of raging insults on to whoever would dare say something not adoring about their favorite housewife.  One day Pat asked if anyone had a recipe for Chiles en Nogada and I chimed in and said, “I do, go to my blog and it should be my second entry. 

Last night she asked me for the recipe for the sopa de tortilla and I decided to get down to writing it.  Therefore, my dear twitter sister, here is the recipe you were looking for.  Remember that every recipe you make your own so feel free to tweak it.

Ingredients

4-Tomatoes

1-Onion

2-Garlic cloves

1-Pasilla chile seeds removed and cut in rings

1-TBSP of Canola, (any cooking oil will do)

1-Quart of chicken stock

½-Corn tortilla in strips

2-Epazote leaves (if you have it, if you don't its ok)

For Garnish

4-Corn tortillas cut in strips pan fried until crispy ( you may want to use more tortillas)

Panela cheese cut in cubes about ¼ cup per bowl

1-Pasilla chile cut in rings and fried with little oil until soft

Avocado cut into cubes

Some people like to added shredded Oaxaca cheese, so feel free to add it as a garnish

Tortilla Soup is traditionally made without chicken.  Only the stock is used.  I like to add the shredded chicken from the stock that I make.  I like to make it into a meal and not just an appetizer.  If you want to make your stock cook two breasts with about 2 quarts of water, add two celery stalks, half an onion, Serrano pepper, salt to taste, and a handful of cilantro cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken breasts, shred and set aside.  Pass the stock through a sieve to remove all the stems from the cilantro and the celery.  This will be the chicken stock used for your soup.

In a stockpot, add the canola, corn or vegetable oil.  Once the oil is heated, add the onion, the garlic and the pasilla chile rings.  Once the onion is translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are tender.  Add the chicken stock and if you have epazote, add the two leaves.  Let it simmer for about three to five minutes so that the flavors combine.  Add the 4 tortillas shredded with your hands and lower the heat.  Let the tortillas soften for about three minutes.  Remove the epazote leaves and blend with a hand blender or in a blender.  Be careful as the liquid is hot, if you do not have a hand blender, I recommend you get one, it is essential in my kitchen, especially for making the refried beans J. 

Return to the stock pot, add the chicken and let it simmer on low for another three minutes.  You are now ready to plate in a bowl.  I like to place the garnishes in separate bowls in the middle of your table so that everyone may add the quantities they like.    In different bowls place the fried tortilla strips, shredded Oaxaca cheese, panela cubes, avocado cubes, and the fried rings of the chile pasilla.

A low calorie tip is to place the tortilla strips in the oven until they are crispy!  Enjoy!

Sopa de Lentejas - Lentils Soup

As promised, here is the recipe for Sopa de Lentejas, lentil soup.  This is how I learned to make it from my Mom, MariaElena, which she probably learned from her mother Chawis.  There may be variations of it, but what I am sharing is the way I make it. 

1/2 bag of dried lentils

1 onion

3-4 tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

1 serrano pepper

bunch cilantro

3 slices of bacon

Salt to taste

I use a pressure cooker because the lentils will be done in about 30 minutes.  Make sure the lentils are clean, I rinse them under running water in a sieve and make sure there are no rocks or debris.  Chop the bacon and render it on medium heat.  Once the bacon is crispy, you can to drain the bacon grease before you continue.  I always leave about a tablespoon and a half.  Chop the half the onion and the garlic and add to the bacon.  In a blender add the other half of the onion, garlic clove, tomatoes, serrano pepper and bunch cilantro.  You can always add water to help with the blending.  Add the contents in the blender to your pressure cooker or pot.  Stir for about 3 minutes, just so it cooks a little.  Now add the rinsed lentils and a quart and a half of water.  The amount of water needed is to make sure it doubles the amount of the lentils.  Now you are ready to salt.  Add salt then taste, and add more if needed.  In a pressure cooker it will take about 30 minutes once the pressure builds.  In a regular pot,  it may take about an hour and a half. 

If you are using a pressure cooker, once the cooking is over, run the pot under cold water in your sink.  DO NOT open until the pressure and steam has escaped.  Open and taste, if the lentils are still tough, close the pot and cook for another 15-20 minutes. 

What makes these lentils Mexican is because we add the typical salsa to it which is the tomato, onion, garlic, serrano and cilantro.  I serve it with cubed chihuahua cheese for myself.  My Dad and my husband Scot prefer it with parmesean or cotija cheese.  This soup freezes wonderfully.  I put in the freezer in individual servings and take to work.  I do the same with all the soups I make and my husband and I always have homecooking for lunch!

Fideo (Vermicelli) Soup - Sopa de Fideo

As you all may notice, I write a lot about my family.  I was very blessed to grow up with awesome parents.  As we got older they became not only our parents but our friends as well.  Unfortunately, my Dad passed away April 28, 2010.  I was very lucky to spend his last two weeks by his side.    It is very hard to live without him.  That same year, my parents would have celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary. We used to talk everyday and getting his advice or simply his approval is something that I cannot seem to get used to being without. 

My Dad loved life, he made everyone laugh.  He had an incredible energy that people were naturally drawn to him.  He loved soups.  I remember one day I made sopa de lentejas (lentil soup) and as he was eating he said “ahh, I love soup, I can eat it every day".  So in his honor here are a couple of his favorites.  Sopa de fideo (vermicelli soup) and sopa de lentejas (lentil soup).

Sopa de Fideo

One box of vermicelli (yellow box) if you can't find it angel hair pasta will work but you will have to break it into little one and a half inch pieces)

1 large onion 

3-4 tomatoes depending how big they are

1 serrano pepper

2 garlic cloves

Bunch cilantro

1 quart chicken stock

1 slice American cheese

1 Tablespoon corn, vegetable or canola oil is fine

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a 2 quart sauce pan.  Once the oil is hot add the box of the vermicelli and brown lightly.  You have continuously stir it around because you do not want it to burn.  Dice about half the onion and one diced garlic at the same time and brown it all together.  Now that it is brown turn off the heat and remove from the heated stove.  In a blender, add tomatoes, the other half of the onion, one garlic clove, a bunch cilantro, and a serrano pepper.  If you do not like the heat, you can remove the seeds.  I like the heat, so I add one half, taste, and if not too hot, I add the other half.   Blend until a liquid consistency, if you need to add a little water to help blend.
Add the contents of your blender to the vermicelli and top it off with chicken stock.  Add water until you get to about 2 inches from the rim.  Taste for salt and add to taste.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the vermicelli is tender.  Turn off the heat when the vermicelli is al dente, because the soup is hot, the vermicelli continues to cook and you do not want to overcook it because it becomes too starchy and you will need to add more liquid.  Once the heat is off, add a slice of American cheese.  Yes it seems unconventional but believe me, it thickens the soup just slightly.  It does not work with cheddar cheese because it doesn’t blend well and it does not look good. Cover your pot and let the cheese melt.  Once the cheese is melted, stir and serve.  Yummy!  If you want to convert it into a meal shred some chicken and add it to the pot before serving.   

I will add the lentil soup in another entry.