Eva's Tortilla Soup
I just got Eva Longoria's new cookbook & this is one of her signature dishes!
This is a wonderful recipe to make a light, hearty tortilla soup.
The hardest thing might be to find the ingredients- the ancho & pasilla dried chiles. But look in your store & if anything, you can always get them online.
To make this, you will need:
4 pounds chicken legs
4 pounds chicken thighs
12 cups chicken broth
4 dried pasilla chiles
4 dried ancho chiles
6 tomatoes, chopped
1 large white onion, diced
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp kosher salt
2 large bunches cilantro, leaves chopped
*Note this recipe makes 14-16 servings, I just halved the recipe & had some leftovers for the next day*
To make: In large stockpot, place chicken legs & thighs & broth in. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, then reduce heat & simmer until chicken is cooked throughout, about 30 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove chicken from pot & set aside to cool. Then shred the meat.
Place the pasilla & ancho chiles in medium saucepan & add cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat & simmer until chiles are soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the chiles & remove stems & veins. If you want it a little spicier, then keep the seeds. If not, remove all the seeds!
In a food processor, place chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, & salt. Process until smooth, adding ½ cup chicken broth to loosen mixture if its too thick.
Stir the chile puree & half of the cilantro into the broth. Bring to a simmer over low heat & let simmer 20-30 minutes. Stir in the reserved chicken & remaining cilantro & remove pot from heat.
When broth is simmering, line a baking sheet or plate with paper towels. In large skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat. Add a handful or two of tortilla strips & fry until just lightly browned, about 45 seconds. Use tongs to transfer them to the paper towels to cool & harden. Continue in batches until all tortilla strips are fried.
When you’re ready to serve the soup, place the lettuce, avocado, & queso fresco in separate bowls to make serving easier.
For each bowl, place a few tortilla strips & a scoop of lettuce in a soup bowl. Ladle the soup into the bowl & top with a spoonful of avocado, then sprinkle some quesco fresco on top & serve!!
