Tortilla soup

Heat a pan with oil enough to coat the bottom; add a sliced medium onion and two cloves of garlic.

Break the stem off a pasilla chili, cut it in about half-inch pieces and shake out the seeds; set the pieces aside.

Cook the onion and garlic over medium to medium-high heat, tossing, until richly browned, about seven to eight minutes.

Add the chili pieces and keep them moving until they release a toasted aroma, 30 seconds to a minute.

Scrape the onions, garlic and chili into a blender, leaving most of the oil behind; add about half a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and puree.

Return the pan to the heat filmed with oil, add the puree and cook over medium-high heat until it darkens and thickens to the consistency of tomato paste, about five minutes.

Add the chicken broth and stir until the flavorings are mixed in. Add a couple of sprigs of epazote.

Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium-low, partially cover and simmer about half an hour.

Cut the frying tortillas in half and into thin strips about a quarter inch wide, or keep them long for a more elegant presentation.

Heat oil a little over half an inch deep until shimmering and a test strip pops; fry the tortilla strips, keeping them moving so they do not stick, until golden and the bubbles almost stop. Drain on paper towels.

Remove the stem from the last pasilla chili and fry it, turning, until toasted through and crumbly, 45 seconds to a minute.

Add the cooked chicken to the simmering soup to heat through a couple of minutes before serving. Taste for salt; low-sodium broth needs salt added.

In a wide bowl, put a spoonful of Mexican crema, a handful of melting cheese and a couple of slices of avocado, sliced with the side of a spoon against the skin.

Stand the fried tortilla strips up in the bowl and crumble the fried chili over.

Remove the epazote if wished, pour the soup in and around, and add some of the chicken.