Homework Review: Lesson 1.1 How to Make White Stock
. One pound short of chicken (according to our bathroom scale and Laura stepping on and off, with and without a bag of chicken parts); no effect on stock richness, likely do to the inclusion of whole legs and thighs in the stock making.
. Certainly don't try to do the stock and the soup in the same day.
. Bag and freeze chicken backs and wings from fresh cut chickens; also bag and freeze leftover fresh aromatic vegetables from other soup recipes.
Ingredients
. Chicken Stock
. Whole Chicken
. Pasilla Chiles (or Chile Negro)
. Fresh Tomatoes
. Corn Tortilla
. Green Cabbage
. Cotija Cheese
. Fresh Cilantro
. Ripe Avocado
. Lime
Special Tools
. Fine-mesh Sieve
. Flexible Spatula
. Cast Iron Pan (optional, but recommended)
. Blender or Food Processor
Notes from the Kitchen
. If you are a little short of the 8 cups of homemade stock, finish with water. (Not tried with less-rich store-bought stock.)
. Suggested 4 1/2 pound chicken is probably accurate; 4 1/2 pounds of chicken parts (4 breasts, 4 legs) was a little heavy on the chicken. (And, yet, there were no leftovers 2 days later.)
. Cast iron works beautifully for toasting the chile, broiling the tomatoes and cooking the combined mixture.
. To split the toasted chiles, cut top and lay flat on cutting board. Insert knife and run along the fold of the flattened chile.
. Larger tomatoes (2 small "beefsteak" were used) needed about 7-10 minutes broiling under the flame of a gas oven.
. As much as the pureed chile puree looks fabulous as-is, pushing it through the sieve is worth the extra work. (The strained liquids provide not just intense flavor but a creamy texture.) . Push chile puree through a sieve in small batches to maximize liquid extraction.
Special Note on Garnishes
. Red onion was omitted, accidentally, apparently not missed.
. Double the cabbage to feed 8.
. Sliced jalapeno, especially grilled first, would have added a nice bite. (This recipe is not spicy.)
. Fried tortilla strips were worth the homemade effort, but made easier, and perhaps better, by the use of an electric deep fryer. Fry for 3-4 minutes.
Notes of Less Pertinence but Equal Importance
. When purchasing ingredients with non-English names, be sure to look up (beyond the Cooking School book) the ingredient. Or, if you want the extra exercise, you can run back and forth to the store after you've returned home the first time not having seen any of the many dried peppers labeled "passila." (That would because they are also known as chile negro.)
. We kept the solids from the chile-tomato-onion puree and plan on trying them out as a spread, perhaps with some leftover cotija cheese toasted on tortillas?
. With the garnishes, the soup is easily a full meal in and of itself.
. For drinking a hoppy amber or IPA beer goes well, although its not as spicy as you might expect.
. Topped off well with strawberry merigue buttercream cupcakes for dessert.
. Note that the Everyday Food recipe for Tortilla Soup is not the same soup. Without the chile puree, it loses a lot of its magic.
Eating the Results
Laura says: I may have found my new favorite soup, well, at least until the next lesson. The richness was truly intense. In fact—as shocking as this is coming from me--I would try halving the 2 Tbs of coarse salt from the enriching of the broth. The creaminess added by the chile puree created a perfect testure, and the rich and sweetness was balanced perfectly with the tanginess of the lime and the fresh crisp of garnishes like cilantro and cabbage. (I did not miss the red onions as a garnish, perhaps others did.) I was also surprised that my restraint in not pulling out some sour cream was rewarded by far better results having just a sprinkling of the shredded cotija cheese.
Claudine says: I loved this soup as well. I wasn't going to mention it, but since you brought it up... I did taste the salt when I heated up my leftover soup the next day. I think that one needs to keep in mind the saltiness of the various garnishes (I think the cheese may have been salty enough) and adjust the seasoning during the cooking process. I would like to make it again with boxed TJ broth and see if you can taste the difference through the chile puree. It would definitely entice me to make it more often on weeknights if that substitution worked.
Useful Links
Chicken Stock
Photo Glossary of Dried Chiles
Notes on Tortillas
