Pressure Cooker Authentic Mexican Tortilla Soup

By Heidi Allison

Any way you serve it, Tortilla Soup is comfort food 101. Presented as an entrée, this hearty Mexican soup, Sopa de Tortilla, is often served as a “meal-in- a -bowl”, with a thick, almost stew-like broth of puréed tomato, corn, onion, garlic and chiles, served with poached chicken, then garnished with cotija cheese, sliced avocado, fresh minced cilantro and crispy, fried tortilla strips right before serving. As an appetizer, this soup is decidedly lighter fare, with a thinner, chile-infused broth serving as its foundation – and sans the chicken.

While I prefer the softer texture of poached chicken in this dish, you can change-out store-bought roasted chicken with great results. And, a great chicken broth takes this dish to another level! If you are craving a Tex-Mex rendition, change-out the crumbled cotija cheese for shredded cheddar.

Pressure Cooker Authentic Mexican Tortilla Soup
Serves: 2 as an entrée or 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

2 ears of fresh Corn, shucked
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 thick Corn Tortillas
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Sweet Onion, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch rounds
1 Serrano Chile, stemmed, seeded and chopped
4 Roma Tomatoes
8 cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Heaping Tablespoons, Ground Cumin
1½ Tablespoons Tomato Paste
8 cups Homemade or Good Quality Chicken Stock
2 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts, poached in water or chicken stock; cut into ¼ inch slices

Garnish:

1 Avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¼ inch cubes
2 Tablespoons Mexican Crema (Sour Cream)
2 Tablespoons fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Tablespoon Cotija Cheese, crumbled

Preparation:

Preheat a toaster oven to 375 degrees F. Cut kernels off the corn cob and set aside, saving the cob. Fry tortillas in olive oil till lightly crisp with flecks of brown and set aside.

Place the onions, tomatoes, and garlic in a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in toaster oven for about 20 minutes, or until the tomato skins split and onion is soft. Remove the skins from the tomatoes and roughly chop.

Add tomato, onion, garlic, serrano chile and corn kernels to a blender or food processor and pulse to a fine consistency with bits of veggies present (do not overprocess).

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to electric pressure cooker and heat till hot – about 1 1/2 minutes. Add vegetable mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until an aroma emerges – about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, fried corn tortillas, tomato paste and corn cobs and stir. Place lid on pressure cooker and set timer for 20 minutes.

When cooking time is finished and steam is released, open pressure cooker and remove cobs. Place soup mixture in a blender and pulse until smooth—about 10 seconds.

Place chicken strips in the bottom of the bowl and ladle soup over and top with avocado, Mexican crema, cilantro and cheese.

Serve immediately.