Sopa Azteca: President Obama's Favorite Starter

Rick Bayless' Tortilla Soup Starts an Obama Meal at Topolobampo

© Larry Ervin

Jan 31, 2009

Rick Bayless' Topolobampo is an Obama favorite hometown dinner destination.

"They are totally adventurous people ... they enjoy food," said Bayless of Topolobampo. "They never turn a nose up at anything we suggest to them."

Sopa Aztecais one of Topolobampo’s signature dishes, Bayless' version of tortilla soup. A pasilla chile flavors a dark broth which they serve garnished with grilled chicken, avocado, artisanal Jack cheese, thick cream and tortilla strips.

Bayless' recipe for this Obama favorite is adapted here:

Sopa Azteca (Tortilla Soup)

Yield: 4 servings

You will need:

• Large Heavy Pot
• Blender or Food Processor

Ingredients:

• 1 large dried pasilla chile, stemmed, seeded (See Chili Notes, below)
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 large epazote sprig (optional)
• Salt
• 1¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 avocado, pitted, flesh scooped out, cut into ¼-inch cubes
• 1½ cups shredded Mexican melting cheese (Chihuahua, quesadilla or asadero) or Monterey Jack or mild cheddar
• 4 cups roughly broken tortilla chips
• ½ cup Mexican crema, sour cream or crème fraîche
• 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

Method:

1. Quickly toast the chile (see Chile Notes below). Break the chile into pieces and place it in a blender or food processor along with the tomatoes and their juice. (Bayless suggests a blender is preferable in this case because a food processor won’t completely puree the chile.)
2. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 8 minutes.
3. Remove pot from the heat and use a slotted spoon to scoop out the onion and garlic, pressing them against the side of the pan to leave behind as much infused oil as possible; transfer the onions and garlic to the blender with the tomato-chile mixture. Process until smooth.
4. Return the pot to medium-high heat. When it is quite hot, add the tomato mixture and reduce, stir nearly constantly, until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 7 minutes.
5. Add the broth and epazote, if using. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, about 1 teaspoon.
6. Just before serving, add the chicken to the simmering broth.
7. Divide the grilled chicken, avocado, cheese and tortilla chips among the serving bowls. Ladle the soup into the bowls.
8. Garnish with a dollop of crema. Serve with lime wedges separately.

Chile Notes:

Dried pasilla chiles (a.k.a. Chile Negro), as well as the herb epazote, can be found in a Mexican grocery or the Mexican section of many supermarkets. They range from mild to medium in heat, 3-5 on a scale of 10.

Two alternate methods for toasting, depending on whether you have a gas range:

• Hold the chile with tongs an inch or two over a gas flame, turning for just a few seconds until its aroma is released -or-
• Press the the chile flat in a dry pan over medium heat for a few seconds, then flip it over and press it again.

When the Obamas Cook

It may be four to eight years before the Obamas cook for themselves again, but when they do, they are known to like these:

• Barack Obama's Sinus-Clearing Chili
• Michelle Obama's Macaroni and Cheese
• Michelle Obama's Apple Cobbler and Shortbread Cookies

Dried Pasilla Chiles

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