Metrocurean’s post about tortilla soup, reminded me of the version I watched Morou Ouattara prepare as a staff meal before a Friday night dinner service. What was most interesting was not the soup itself (even though it was awesome), but the method used to bring it to life. Other than the two onions that started the dish, and the 6 chicken breasts, every ingredient was added without much regard to quantity. It made capturing a recipe difficult, but I at least jotted down everything that went into the pot.
Onions, cumin, coriander and whole dried chilies formed the base of this soup, along with sage, and marjoram. Morou didn’t use traditional herbs, he used what was on hand, and the results were no less stunning; But not at first.
After the soup cooked for a while, the chilies removed, and tortillas added, Morou had achieved a rather flat boring soup that was so intensely spicy it was inedible. And then the real cooking began.
To tone down the spice he added more stock, and to give it more body more tortillas followed. The boat motor whirred, and still things were lifeless. Lemon juice was added from a few lemon halves and the soup jumped to life, but with almost too much vigor. No matter Morou downplayed the acid with a bit of sugar, and everything fell into place.
“Cooking isn’t rocket science” Morou told me as he added some chopped cilantro to the mix. “You make something, you taste it and if you don’t like it you add and taste again. You keep going until you get things where you want them to be.” And sure enough Morou got exactly where he intended. The soup was devoured so quickly by his staff, he had to rescue the last few quarts to save for his wife.
The recipe below is just as open to your interpretation as it is to mine. I’ve not added quantities, or detailed instructions because a finished recipe isn’t the point. The goal is to cook and taste, and cook and taste, and note how each addition changes the overall character of the dish. Give it a try and see where you end up. At worst it could make you a better cook. At best you’ll end up with one hell of a soup.
Tortilla Soup
Tortilla Soup
This is by no means a tested recipe. It’s just a road map that will (if you cook half as good as Morou) lead you to one hell of a tortilla soup.
2 dried New Mexican Chilies
Assorted herbs, whole
1 medium onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
Cumin
Coriander
Cilantro
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups diced tomatoes
Chicken stock
2 bone on skin on chicken breasts
Lemon juice
Cilantro
Garnishes
In a big stockpot bring a lot of oil to temp, and toss in chilies, and fresh whole sage, and marjoram. They’ll cough and sputter and the smell is awesome. To cool the pan, and stop the chilies from burning toss in the 2 finely chopped onions and some garlic. This is cooked, and then tomato paste is added and toasted, and then diced tomatoes. Chicken stock is added.
Hit chicken breasts in a searing hot pan, skin side down only. Once well browned the pieces are thrown in the soup. Use some of the soup is to deglaze the chicken pan, and then return it back to the soup pot.
Remove chicken from soup, put into a pan skin side up, tossed into the oven to re-crisp the skin.
Toss in tons of tortilla chips and cook till soggy, then the remove chilies, and blend the whole thing with an immersion blender.
Season with lemon juice, salt, cilantro, and sugar if necessary, tasting all along the way. When finished add the diced chicken, and serve with fried tortilla strips, sour cream, extra cilantro, and cheese.
