By Marian Cabanillas
Robert Del Grande's Tortilla Soup from Cafe Annie
Robert Del Grande is one of the pioneers of America’s Southwestern cuisine movement, the first chef to bring to Houston the coveted James Beard Award, and his Cafe Annie was the nexus of Houston’s social whirl for decades.
The restaurant later moved and morphed into RDG & Bar Annie and now exists as the Annie Cafe & Bar. And through it all, the restaurant’s tortilla soup has remained a constant. Though tortilla soup is available in many iterations throughout the city, Del Grande’s is regarded by many as the peerless original. Although the chef created his without chicken, you can plate yours with a mound of shredded chicken in the center of the bowl before you ladle on the chile-stoked, corn tortilla-enriched tomato broth.
Updated at: Sat, 27 Apr 2024 13:21:53 GMT
Nutrition balance score
Great
Glycemic Index
36
Low
Nutrition per serving
Calories2283.7 kcal (114%)
Total Fat114.3 g (163%)
Carbs251.2 g (97%)
Sugars63.8 g (71%)
Protein76.5 g (153%)
Sodium5339.7 mg (267%)
Fiber49.7 g (177%)
% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Ingredients
0 servings
0.5white onion
1 poundplum tomatoes
6garlic cloves
peeled
2dried guajillo chiles
2dried ancho chiles
10white corn tortillas
six - inch
2 cupspeanut oil
or vegetable, for deep frying
8 cupschicken stock
½ teaspoondried oregano
crumbled
1 teaspoonsalt
2avocados
ripe
1tomato
small, ripe
1fresh serrano chiles
⅓ cupwhite onion
finely chopped
2 teaspoonsfresh lime juice
1 teaspoonsalt
½ teaspoonblack peppercorns
crushed
8 sprigsfresh cilantro
lime wedges
for garnish
cotija cheese
crumbled, for garnish
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat broiler. Coarsely chop onion. Arrange onion, tomatoes and garlic in one layer on a cookie sheet and broil, about 2 inches from heat, turning vegetables occasionally with tongs, until tomato skins are blistered and lightly charred. Cool vegetables.
Step 2
While vegetables are broiling, remove stems, seeds and ribs from dried chiles. Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and toast chiles, pressing down with tongs, a few seconds on each side, or until pliable. Transfer chiles to bowl and cover with hot water to soak for about 20 minutes.
Step 3
Drain chiles, discarding soaking liquid. In a blender, purée chiles with vegetable mixture until smooth.
Step 4
Cut 6 tortillas into quarters and cut remaining 4 tortillas into ¼-inch-wide strips. In a cleaned 9-inch skillet, heat ½-inch oil to 375 degrees. Fry quartered tortillas in batches, turning them until crisp and pale gold. Remove to paper towels to drain.
Step 5
Fry tortilla strips in same manner, transferring to paper towels, keeping separate from tortilla quarters. When cooled, place fried quarters in a plastic bag and finely crush with a rolling pin.
Step 6
In a 5-quart heavy pot, bring stock and chile purée to a boil. Stir in crushed tortillas, oregano and salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tortillas are soft and soup is slightly thickened, 30 to 45 minutes. Check seasonings for salt and pepper.
Step 7
Make the relish: While soup is simmering, make relish by peeling avocados and removing pits. Cut into ¼-inch dice. Finely chop tomato and chiles, including seeds, if desired. In a bowl, gently stir together avocados, tomato, onion, chiles and remaining relish ingredients until well combined.
Step 8
Divide soup among 6-8 plates, garnish with relish and fried tortilla strips in center. Serve with lime wedge. May also be garnished with crumbled cotija cheese
Step 9
Makes 9 cups
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