One of my absolute favorite cuisines to cook and eat is Mexican. Sometimes misunderstood here in Canada, but authentic, true Mexican food is so flavourful and diverse. Please put away those old El Paso taco kits and give some of the more authentic recipes a try if you haven’t already. You won’t be disappointed. This Sonoran Cheese Soup is a really delicious place to start.
This soup is slightly adapted from a recipe by Pati Jinich, who is a sweet Mexican chef that makes the most amazing and easy to prepare dishes. Patti Jinich Cookbook
Sonora, if you aren’t familiar is in Northern Mexico, I’ve never been but apparently they produce some of the country’s best milk and cheese. The original recipe calls for Chihuahua cheese, but I’ve replaced with Monterey Jack, or you could use Mozza which in North America is easier to find.
Serves about 6 people
INGREDIENTS:
– 3 tbsp of bacon fat or oil of choice
– 3 cups of peeled and diced potatoes (about 3 cups)
– 1 1/2 cups of white onions, chopped
– 1 cup of chopped red pepper
– 1 ripe medium to large tomato diced
– 2 poblano chiles (roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped)
– a little salt to taste
– 3-4 cups of chicken broth (homemade is best)
– 2 cups cream (I used half and half)
– 8 ounces of shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or Queso Chihuahua, Mozzarella
– 1 roasted serrano pepper chopped
Heat up your broiler and on a sheet pan place your poblano peppers and serrano pepper. Roast until blackened and charred. Let the poblano cool and remove the skin and seeds and stem and chop and put aside. Remove the stem from the serrano pepper and chop (you might want to only use 1/2 of the serrano if spicy isn’t your thing.
In a heavy pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add your potatoes and onions and cook stirring often, for about 4-5 minutes or so or until the onions are translucent. Add in your bell pepper, tomato, poblano and serrano and a bit of salt (start with about 3/4 tsp) and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the veggies are soft. Add in your chicken stock, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are soft (about 10 minutes). Lower the heat, add in your cream and then cheese, stir until cheese is melted and serve.
You can garnish if you like with some cilantro, extra hot sauce or corn chips (we fried up some leftover corn tortillas for chips on the side).
Enjoy!
If you like this dish you should try: Homemade Corn Tortillas
