Dona Tomas Cookbook

We got a few new cookbooks for Christmas and this was one of the one's we were most anxious to cook from straight away. So the next morning I ran to the grocery store and purchased all the necessary ingredients for the Chilequiles with Guajillo Sauce...and were very pleased with the outcome.





The Dona Tomas cookbook comes from Thomas Schnetz and Dona Savitsky's recipes from their Oakland, CA restaurant of the same name (located in the Temescal Distrcit). The Lima Soup (almost identical to their Tortilla Soup) is especially delicious. The soup is not quite as flavorfull as my variation of Rick Bayless' Tortilla Soup, but it is far easier to prepare (perfect for a weeknight) with no blending or frying required. We're looking foreward to trying our hands at some more recipes, as of yet the only other thing we've made from the cookbook are the Tacos De Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo, which were also excellent with a tomatillo salsa. Here's the recipe for the Sopa De Lima. I like to tweak the recipe by adding diced avacado, queso fresco, corn, and extra jalapeno for flavor.

*Sopa De Lima*

Ingredients:

1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 white onion, cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 jalapeno chile, chopped
2 heirloom or vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch dice
juice of 2 limes
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
about 6 teaspoons kosher salt
2 to 3 cups loosely crushed tortilla chips

Prep:

Place broth in a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to simmer.
In a sepearate soup pot, heat the oil over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until translucent, stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent burning. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly until the aroma is released. Add the jalapeno and tomatoes, and lightly saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and half of the cilantro, then remove the pan from the heat.

Pour broth into the pot of sauteed vegetables. Place the pot back on the stove top over high heat until it boils. Add a few pinches of salt, reduce heat to medium, and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, until the flavors completely fuse. Add half of the shredded chicken (reserve the remainder for another use) and simmer for about 5 minutes, adjusting the seasoning with salt if necessary.

Ladle the soup into large bowls and top each with 1/2 cup of tortilla chips. Divide the remaining cilantro among the bowls. The garnish must be crispy and fresh and sized so that it fits on a soup spoon and provides appropriate contrast.

The soup can be refridgerated in a covered container for up to 3 days and reheated as necessary, but the tortilla and cilantro garnish should always be added at the last minute.

See Dona Tomas' site for more info.