I was talking to myself the other day and decided that Tortilla Soup is my favorite soup, for three reasons. 1 – I like a soup that you can stand a fork up in. 2 – Garnishes are King. 3 – I believe that Tortilla can beat up any of the other soups (in a street fight scenario). I hold these truths to be self-evident.
I save all the bones from the chickens I roast. When I have a few on hand, I break them up, throw them in a big pot with just enough water to cover them. Slowly simmer for 2 – 3 hours, then strain off the good stuff. With that in hand, I make the soup base: 1 gallon chicken stock, 4 cups tomato puree, 4 cups onion puree, a few teaspoons of cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste. I simmer this for about an hour. It’s important at this point to start drinking wine. Leave the bottle by the cook top. If anyone asks, tell them it’s for the soup.
The all important garnishes: Fried Tortilla Strips, Diced Avocado and Cheddar Cheese on this one. I also like pickled red onion, diced roasted poblanos and crumbled cojita cheese. Hell, that would make a good pizza.
My husband and I are on a mission to find the best tortilla soup in town. Any suggestions?
Great question and I don’t have a clue. You don’t see it on many fine dining menus. It was a signature dish of Dean Fearing’s when he was at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas. Their recipe was a starting place for what I do now. Fonda San Miguel has a “Sopa de Tortilla” and so does La Condesa. Those would be the first I would try. Sounds like a fun field trip. You could hit La Condesa for lunch and Fonda for dinner.
Thistle in Davnport Village had a good version It had a Mexican spice in it I could never quite place. I don’t know if they serve it downtown or not. Maybe you coul pry th recip out of thm!