Simple Sopa Azteca Food

SOPA AZTECA

Steps:

• Put oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic; sautee until onions are translucent and soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, basil, cumin and black pepper. Cook until tomatoes are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Blend mixture in blender until smooth. Set aside.
• Bring the water to a boil in large pot. Add chicken, bay leaf and epazote. Skim off fat and foam. Add puree and tomato paste, and cook until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken. Skin, shred and set aside.
• Add bell pepper, celery, zucchini and carrot to broth and cook about 10 minutes, until crisp but tender. Remove vegetables from broth, so as not to overcook. Salt broth to taste.
• To serve, place vegetables and potato in a large soup bowl. Add, in order, tortilla strips, spinach (around the top), shredded chicken, cubed avocado and cheese. Pour hot broth into soup bowl and serve. Each bowl must be prepared as described to distribute vegetables and tortillas evenly.

SOPA AZTECA

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add chile peppers and boil until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer peppers to a dish and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes; reserve chile water. Remove and discard stems and seeds from peppers, keeping a few seeds if you like a spicy soup.
• Combine chiles, tomatoes, onion, bouillon, oregano, and thyme in an electric blender; add as much reserved chile water as possible to fill line. Blend until liquefied.
• Strain chile mixture into a large pot. Add remaining chile water, adding additional water if necessary. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, 20 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry tortilla strips in the hot oil under golden brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.
• Distribute soup evenly between serving bowls and garnish with fried tortilla strips, crema, lime wedges, and avocado.

SOPA DE TORTILLA (REAL MEXICAN TORTILLA SOUP)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add tortilla strips in batches and fry until brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
• Fry pasilla chiles in the same pan, being careful not to burn them, until browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
• Combine 1 fried pasilla pepper, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and oregano in a blender; blend until smooth. Strain through a sieve into a bowl.
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add tomato mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Stir in chicken granules and parsley. Cover and simmer over low heat until flavors are well combined, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and discard parsley.
• Divide fried tortilla strips among 4 bowls. Pour soup on top of tortilla strips and garnish with diced avocado and cotija cheese. Cut remaining fried pasilla peppers into thin strips and sprinkle over soup. Add Mexican crema to each bowl.

AZTEC SOUP (SOPA AZTECA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large pot, heat the oil and saute the garlic for 30 seconds.
• Add the tomato paste, the tomatoes (including liquid) and the chili powder and cook for 5 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated.
• Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Separately, place the tortilla strips on a baking sheet and spray with PAM (or similar). Bake for 8 minutes or until crisp and golden, turning halfway through.
• Divide the shredded chicken among individual serving bowls. Ladle soup mixture over it.
• Garnish with the toasted tortilla strips, avocado chunks, cheese and cilantro. Serve while still hot.
• OPTIONAL: Yum! Add a good dollop of Mexican Crema or sour cream.