Recipe - Sopa De Pollo

6 Long green chiles
3 tablespoon Olive oil
3 cup Finely chopped onion
3 Cloves garlic, peeled and
minced
2 teaspoon Ground cumin
1 One half teaspoon Ground oregano, crumbled
2 cup Chicken broth, homemade or
canned
2 cup Tomato based hot salsa
2 teaspoon Salt
2 Recipes Pollo Deshebrada,
chopped (refer to recipe in
Cage's Cafe)
2 cup Corn oil, about
24 6inch corn tortillas
4 cup (about 1 pound) grated
cheese, preferably a
combination of Monterey
Jack and mediumsharp
cheddar cheese
16 ounce Sour cream, whisked until
smooth
Shredded romaine and
additional salsa, optional

In the open flame of a gas burner or under a preheated broiler, roast the
ling green chili's, turning them, until they are lightly but evenly
charred. Steam the chili's in a paper bag, or in a bowl, covered with a
plate, until cool. Rub away the burnt peel. Stem and seed the chiles and
coarsely chop them. There should be about 1 cup.

In a nonreactive saucepan over low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the
onions, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook, covered, stirring once or
twice, for about 20 minutes. Cool the sauce to room temperature. Reserve 2
cups of the sauce and combine the remainder with the chicken.

The recipe can be prepared to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate
the reserved sauce and the chicken mixture separately. return both to room
temperature before proceeding with the recipe.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350¡F. In
a deep skillet, warm about 1 inch of corn oil over medium heat. Using
tongs, immerse the tortillas one at a time in the oil, turn them, and then
transfer them to absorbent paper. The tortillas should be in the oil no
longer than a few seconds, and the oil should be hot enough to soften the
tortillas but not so hot that the edges begin to crisp.

Arrange 8 of the tortillas in an overlapping layer in the bottom of a 10 by
14inch baking dish about 2 inches deep. Spread half the chicken over the
tortillas. Spread about half the chicken over the tortillas. Arrange 8 more
of the tortillas in an overlapping layer over the chicken. Sprinkle half
the cheese over the tortillas. Spread the remaining chicken mixture over
the cheese. Spread the reserved sauce over these tortillas. Sprinkle the
remaining cheese over the sauce. Spread the sour cream over evenly the
cheese.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the sopa is crisp and the edges are
bubbling and the topping is set. Let the sopa stand on a rack for about 5
minutes before serving. Cut into rectangles to serve, and accompany it with
shredded romaine and salsa, if desired.

Recipe by: El Paso Chile Co.'s TX Border Ckbk/W. P. Kerr & Norma Kerr
Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #566 by Lynn Cage redcage@inlink.com on Apr
13, 1997