Silky Tortilla Soup
Description
Chef Rene Ortiz serves modernist Mexican dishes at La Condesa in Austin. His smoky, tomatoey tortilla soup is a bit simpler and more classic than many of his recipes, but it still has an innovative touch: It’s enriched with butter, not tortillas.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- kosher salt
- 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, halved
- 4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 8 cups chicken stock
- canola oil, for frying
- 6 corn tortillas, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 stick unsalted butter, diced
- 4 cups shredded chicken, from one 2 1/4-pound rotisserie chicken
- crumbled queso fresco, dried chile and cilantro leaves, for garnish
Directions
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and a generous pinch of salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened and starting to brown, 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chipotle chiles and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are very soft, 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat 1/4 inch of canola oil. Add half of the tortilla strips and fry over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the strips to paper towels. Season with salt. Repeat with the remaining strips.
- Carefully ladle half of the soup into a blender and add half of the butter. Puree until smooth. Pour the pureed soup into a large saucepan. Repeat with the remaining soup and butter. Stir in the shredded chicken and gently reheat the soup. Season with salt.
- Serve the soup in bowls, garnishing with queso fresco, chile, cilantro and tortilla strips.
