Having a passion is fun, sharing it with great friends is just is a feeling that will stay with you a lifetime. I consider myself an extremely fortunate person to have my life filled with wonderful loving friends. Not the kind that comes and go, but the kind that you can feel their love, can read you better than anyone can, will go months without connecting, and when you are together again, is as no time has ever elapsed between visits. Well… I am the lucky one that is surrounded by those true friends.
This week-end was just that, time spent with a loving friend and sharing our passion together: cooking, laughing and sharing.
After spending a week in Mexico celebrating “Dias de los Muertos”, my friend brought back a couple of recipes from a cooking class taken while travelling.
Quick trip to the store and here we are in my kitchen Margaritas on hand, after all we are cooking a Mexican dish, starting to cut, broil and blend to make this very refined Aztec Soup.
It was so much fun talking and catching up, laughing, dancing, yes dancing in the kitchen, as the aromas of the roasted Pasilla chilies in our soup were surrounding us.
We also had fun taking almost a step by step photo session and could not resist to share it with all of you.
TIP: We both do enjoy a thicker soup therefore did not use as much chicken stock as the original recipe required. Adjust as you wish the consistency to be. If you have a Vitamix blender, use the puree setting. If not strain the soup if chunks are not broken down.
Enjoy!!
Giangi
Tonight’s November 16, 2013 dinner:
Aztec Soup
AZTEC SOUP
6 medium size tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ onion
4-5 cups chicken stock, sodium free
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 basil leaves
2 Pasilla chilies, cored and seeded and halved
3 corn tortillas
½ cup oil for frying
1 avocado, cubed
1 cup Mexican Cheese – preferably Oaxacan cheese
Lime, quartered
Cut the tortillas into strips and fry over high heat until golden brown. Remove the tortilla strips from the oil with a slotted spoon. Place on paper towel.
Broil the tomatoes until the skin blackens, peel off skin.
Broil the pasilla chilies halves until the skin blackens, peel off skin. Sautee in a skillet with a shadow of olive oil, the garlic cloves, roasted pasilla chilies and basil for about 3 minutes.
Puree these ingredients with the tomatoes and the juice rendered by the tomatoes if any. Make sure there are no chunks remaining.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pot and add the pureed mixture. Boil until the puree thickens and turns red, about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and salt to taste. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally.
To serve place tortillas strips in each bowl and pour the soup on top. Garnish with cubed avocado and cheese. Squeeze desired amount of lime and enjoy.
