About the Recipe
Ingredients
8 large ripe tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2-3 tbs plard
2 onions, sliced
2 tbsp Chipotles en adobo
1 tsp dried oregano
1 litr home-made chicken stock
1 ½ tspsalt
8 turns black peppermill
220g cooked chicken, shredded (optional)
4 x 15cm corn tortillas, cut into 1cm strips
500ml corn or vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp dried chipotle chilli flakes
1 avocado, stoned, peeled, diced and tossed in lime juice
75g Lancashire or feta cheese, crumbled
100g soured cream
small handful of freshly chopped coriander
Preparation
Heat a dry, heavy-based pan and roast the tomatoes and garlic until charred. Set them aside to cool, then peel both.
Heat the lard in a saucepan and gently cook the onions until softened but not coloured. Add the peeled garlic and cook for a further 4–5 minutes. Add the chipotles, peeled tomatoes and oregano, then the stock and cook for 10–15 minutes until everything is soft and pulpy. Liquidise until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, add the shredded chicken, if using, and keep the soup warm over a low heat.
Pour the oil into a frying pan to a depth of about 2.5cm. Heat the oil and fry the tortilla strips in batches until golden and crisp. Remove the strips with a slotted spoon and drain them on kitchen paper.
Serve the soup with strips of tortilla on top and a sprinkling of chipotle flakes, diced avocado, cheese, soured cream and coriander.