Sopa de Tortilla

In the age-old tradition of "make it up as you go along and see if it works," I present to you my made-up tortilla soup. I read through numerous sopa recipes, looking for one that would fit our tastes and not take 3 days to make. Not finding quite what I was looking for and being constitutionally unable to just follow a savory recipe with exactitude, I borrowed a bit here, a piece there and added a lot of my own ideas.

This should feed about four people but it's easy to increase the servings without increasing the meat. Just add tomatoes, beans and seasoning until you have the approximate amount you need and a flavor you like.

4 dried New Mexico chilis, stems and some seeds removed.
Roast the chilis until their aroma is released. Remove them from heat immediately and submerge in cold water in a small bowl. Let steep until skins have softened. Chop finely.

2 cups yellow corn, fresh, canned (drained) or frozen (thawed)
Heat the oven to 400F. Place a shallow pan on the oven bottom. When preheated, dump the corn into the pan. Stir every couple of minutes until you see color, turn off oven and remove pan. Set aside.


1 large white onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/2 tsp oregano (Mexican or Greek, doesn't matter)
1 tsp chili powder
1 T ground cumin (if you can grind your own seeds it's a lot better)
1 1/2 quarts home canned tomatoes or equivalent commercial (fresh tomatoes? use about 7)
2 cups black beans, cooked and drained.
8 cups chicken stock
In a large stockpot, place all the above ingredients, including the chilis and the corn. Stir well. Bring to boil, place pot on heat diffuser over medium-high heat and let it simmer until you like the taste and consistency.


8 6" corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
2 T vegetable oil or manteca
While the soup is simmering, heat the fat in a heavy cast iron pan. Add the cut tortillas in batches, sauteeing for 2-3 minutes per batch until strips are crisp. Be careful not to burn them!

4 cups cooked chicken, diced
Add chicken to soup pot, stir well. Return to simmer until chicken is heated through.

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Just before serving, stir in the cilantro and half of the tortilla strips.

1 cup grated jack cheese or equivalent mild white cheese
1 c grated sharp cheddar
sour cream
Cubed avocado (optional)
remaining tortilla strips

Set out serving bowls. Add cheeses to each bowl, ladle soup over. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, avocado cubes and the remaining tortilla strips.

How many people this will serve depends on how hungry they are and what else you serve.

Curmudgeon's note: I have seen sopa de tortilla made with everything from canned salsa to roasted squash. Sometimes it's been thickened with some starchy stuff and more resembles a weird pinkish gelatinous mass than soup. To that I say, "YUCK!" I don't worry about the black hunks of the roasted chilis in the soup, it's just one of those things and the chilis add real depth of flavor to the soup. My personal preference is for roasted corn, too. If you don't like that, use plain corn. You could, if you're feeling ambitious, roast the onion, garlic and, if using fresh tomatoes, the tomatoes. Or, alternatively, use half roasted tomatillas and half roasted tomatoes. Lime juice makes a nice addition and adds a freshness to the soup. Epizote can also be used with the other spices if you can find it. For a vegetarian? Leave out the chicken stock and chicken and use vegetable stock instead. It's all good. I've probably forgotten something, I usually do.

Make it up as you go along and see what kind of wonderful variations you can come up with.

After all, it's your palate you are pleasing!