Big Boy’s Brunch

My Swiss niece and her Mexican husband have just had their second child. By way of celebration, I thought I’d offer up this recipe for a soup with a difference. The chilis, avocado, coriander and limes bring an unusual twist to the tomato and stock base. Good luck to Annette, Memo and both their boys now, as they will soon be moving from Europe back to Mexico for the second time.

Tortilla Soup

Don’t be afraid to experiment with recipes like this, a little less of this, a little more of that and adding a favourite ingredient to see how it influences the final dish. Tortilla soup comes in many guises, as these Flickr pictures show.

2 cloves garlic
½ onion, halved
4 tomatoes
6 cups chicken stock
1 tbsn corn oil
2 sprigs coriander
8 corn tortillas
2 hot chilis
2 avocados
1 cup queso fresco or feta cheese
½ cup sour cream
3 limes — halved

Cut the chilis into thin ring and remove the seeds. Halve, peel and thinly slice the avocados lengthwise. Put the garlic, onion and tomatoes on a baking tray and roast at high heat until charred, should be about about 5 minutes. Peel the tomatoes, coarsely chop and place in a blender or food processor with the garlic and onion and blend until you have a thick puree. You can thin with a little stock if it’s too thick to pour. In a large saucepan over high heat, warm the 1 tablespoon oil the add the puree and stir for a couple of minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes until the puree reduces slightly. Add the coriander sprigs and the remaining chicken stock and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes longer.

In the meantime, cut the tortillas in half, then cut each half crosswise into thin strips. In a small frying pan over high heat, pour in oil to a depth of ½ inch. Fry the tortilla pieces in batches until crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry the chili rings in the same oil until crisp, about 1 minute. Ladle into individual bowls, add the fried tortilla strips to the soup and top with some of the chili rings, avocado slices and crumbled cheese. Serve immediately with the cream, limes and remaining avocado slices and chili rings in separate bowls at the side.