Tortilla Soup with Fried Pasilla Chiles

Ingredients

• 12 ounces tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 pasilla chiles, stems and seeds removed
• 12 small corn tortillas, cut into strips
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 large sprigs epazote
• 6 tablespoons grated Chihuahua cheese

Directions

1. Place aluminum foil over a cast-iron skillet and warm it over medium heat. Set the tomatoes on top, turning them with tongs every other minute or so, until the skins are lightly charred all the way around. Take them off the heat and let them cool for a few minutes. Cut out the cores, then put the tomatoes in a blender with the onion and garlic. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth.
2. As the tomatoes cook, pour the oil into a large Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, slip in the chiles and fry them just until crisp, only a few seconds per side. Lift them out with tongs and let them drain on paper towels. Next, add only as many tortilla strips as can sit comfortably in a single layer. Fry them until they turn lightly golden without becoming too crisp, then remove them with tongs, letting the extra oil drip back into the pot. Transfer them to paper towels and continue the same way with the rest of the tortilla strips.
3. Pour off the oil from the Dutch oven, leaving 1 tablespoon behind. Still over medium-high heat, add the blended tomato mixture and cook it, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until it has reduced a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock. Turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. As it heats, taste for seasoning and add a pinch or two of salt if it needs it.
4. Once the soup is boiling, stir in the tortilla strips. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes. Add the sprig of epazote and cook for 1 more minute.
5. Break the fried pasilla chiles into crumbles. Ladle the soup into 4 to 6 bowls. Finish each bowl with some of the crumbled chiles and an equal share of the grated cheese. Serve right away.