recipe: chicken tortilla soup

fonda san miguel is one my favorite restaurants in austin, texas, serving up delicious authentic mexican cuisine. the restaurant itself is a site worth checking out with mexican furnishings and art adorning the building making one feel as if they are actually in mexico. i had a chance to experience their famous brunch buffet a couple of months back and was astounded by the quality and authenticity of the food. naturally, i bought their cookbook before i left the restaurant to take back a little mexico with me to new york. this recipe is perfect for a light winter meal.



chicken tortilla soup
adapted from fonda san miguel: thirty years of food and art
(serves 2)

ingredients:
6 tbsp vegetable oil
6 small corn tortilla, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 tomato (roasted)
1/4 onion, diced
1 garlic clove
3 c chicken broth
1 chicken breast, poached and shredded *
1 tbsp dried epazote **
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp shredded monterey jack cheese

instructions:
in a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and fry the tortilla strips until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. remove the tortilla strips from the oil using a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and set aside. pour off all but 1 tbsp of oil from the pot.

in a blender, combine the tomato, onion and garlic and puree until smooth. heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat and fry the puree until it has thickened and reduced by about one-quarter. add the chicken broth and shredded chicken and bring to a boil. then reduce the heat to a simmer and add the epazote, fried tortilla strips (save about 2 to 3 tbsp for garnish) and salt and pepper to taste. cook for about 10 minutes.

to serve, ladle the soup into 2 bowls and garnish with monterey jack cheese and the remaining tortilla strips.

notes:
* instructions to poach and shred chicken breasts can be found here
** this mexican herb can be found in your local latin markets or grocery stores