The Best Tortilla Soup

Note from the author: Tortilla soup has many variations, which comes from using different types of dried chiles to create its signature dark red, aromatic broth—New Mexico, guajillo, cascabel, etc. The best I've tried uses a combination of earthy mild New Mexico chiles paired with roasted tomatoes as a base. To reduce your time in the kitchen, use a good prepared chicken stock since there is no way to shortcut making the chile-based broth. Add shredded cooked chicken if you want a more substantial meal. An easy way to dice an avocado is to cut it in half with a knife, remove the pit and make 8-10 lengthwise cuts and then 8 cuts across the width of the avocado. Scoop out the meat out with a teaspoon to make a perfect 1/4-inch dice.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons grape seed oil, divided
• 5 cups organic chicken stock (or substitute a rich homemade chicken stock)
• 4 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips and fried until crisp in grape seed oil
• 1 ripe Hass avocado, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 ounces Cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1 lime
• 3 tablespoons cilantro, minced
• 8 dried New Mexico chiles
• 7 organic Roma tomatoes
• 1 medium white onion, sliced into 1/4-inch rings
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried cumin
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup soaking water from chiles
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar

Directions

1. Pull off the stems and shake out the seeds from the chiles.
2. Place the chiles into a 2-quart bowl.
3. Heat 6 cups of water to almost boiling and pour over chiles; cover with a plate to keep the chiles submerged. Let chiles soak for at least 20 minutes or until pliable (Do not soak longer than 30 minutes or the chiles lose flavor). Reserve 1 cup of soaking liquid.
4. Heat the broiler. Line a baking pan with foil.
5. Place the tomatoes on the pan so they do not touch. Broil for at least 7 minutes per side. The skins will be split and the tomatoes slightly charred.
6. Remove the tomatoes to a plate and let cool.
7. Peel off tomato skins and scoop out the seeds and core.
8. Turn down the oven to 425 degrees F.
9. Place the onion rings and garlic on a baking pan and toss with 1 tablespoon of grape seed oil.
10. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the onion and garlic are soft, golden and slightly charred.
11. Place the tomatoes, chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, black pepper and cumin into a food processor or blender with vinegar and 1 cup of chile soaking liquid; purée until smooth. Chile skins are tough and this may take several blendings to achieve a smooth consistency.
12. Place 2 tablespoons of grape seed oil in a heavy pot on medium-high; heat until hot.
13. Add 3 cups of red chile sauce and cook until reduced to a thick pasta, about 15 minutes.
14. Add chicken broth and lower heat to medium-low. Cook for 15-20 minutes to mellow the flavor of the vinegar.
15. Adjust seasoning. If the soup is slightly bitter, add a pinch of sugar. You may also need to add more salt at this stage.
16. To serve, place fried tortilla strips, diced avocado and 1 tablespoon of crumbled cheese into the bottom of soup dish.
17. Pour 2 cups of hot chile broth into bowl and top with more avocado, cheese and cilantro. Serve immediately with a wedge of lime.