Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup is one of my favorite foodie films, about three daughters, their semiretired chef father, and the star of the show, fresh Mexican cuisine. My favorite scene is when the three sisters sing a spanglish version of "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" by Lila Downs.

In Tortilla Soup food plays several roles. First, as Robin Balthrope writes in Reel Food, food represents ethnicity and culture. The opening scenes show the father character, Martin, grilling cactus and peppers, creating a colorful feast for his family. The chef in the film is the protector of tradition. Second, as in many other food films (and outside of the theater of course too), food shows love. Martin loves on his daughters; perhaps he does not always understand their life choices, yet he wants them close, where he can dote on them with tasty dishes. Finally, food in the film facilitates communication. Every time the family sits for their traditional Sunday dinner, someone says, "I have an announcement" and their world is turned upside-down. The group’s unity is repeatedly threatened by one of the adult daughter’s moves for independence. Their love and the tradition of family dinner sees them through each startling change.

For my first screen to table project, I researched the chefs that prepared the food in Tortilla Soup, Susan Finiger and Mary Sue Milliken. For a short biography of the latin food duo, see http://marysueandsusan.com/ .

I found the chefs’ recipes for several dishes in the film and prepared a mini Mexican banquet for my parents and boyfriend. The first, and probably best of the four was the namesake, an excellent tomato and stock based tortilla soup. I highly recommend this one.

Tortilla Soup's Tortilla Soup
5 garlic cloves peeled
10 Roma tomatoes, cored and quartered
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken stock
1 dried chipolte chili, stemmed and seeded
3/4 pound tortilla chips

Toppings (“I say, the more toppings, the merrier”)
1 bunch (1/2 cup) cilantro leaves
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup crema (available in Mexican markets)
2 limes cut in wedges
Place the garlic and tomatoes in blender until smooth. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over low heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until pale brown and caramelize, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and cook 10 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
Pour in the chicken stock and add the chipolte chili. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir in the tortilla chips and cook 10 minutes longer until the chips soften. Remove and discard the chili.
Serve hot with cilantro, avocado, crema, lime wedges and some extra crisp fried tortilla chips for adding at the table. Makes 10 servings
(from Dallas Morning News, Aug 15, 2001).

I always enjoy a good cooking experiment, so I hunted for a recipe for the green corn tamales prepared in the film. Although not as satisfying as my family’s traditional beef and homemade chili tamales, these are healthy, vegetarian, and EASY. They make for a festive side dish, a new spin on polenta.

10 ears corn (I substituted 5 ears corn and one can, because corn is not easy to find in Jan.)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup hominy grits
serve with sour cream and salsa verde

Remove the corn husks by trimming off both ends of the cobs, trying to keep the husks whole. Place the largest husks in a pot of hot water and set aside to soak. Remove the kernels from ears.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the corn and its juices, the salt, pepper, and the cream and simmer until the mixture thickens, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. Then stir in the baking powder and grits and reserve in the refrigerator.
Drain the corn husks on paper towels. Make ties for the tamales by cutting a few of the husks into strips.
To stuff the tamales, overlap 2 or 3 husks and spread about 3 tablespoons of corn filling down the center. Fold over the sides and then the ends to enclose the filling. Tie with a corn husk string. Repeat with the remaining filling and additional corn husks.
In a steamer or a pot fitted with a rack, make a bed for the tamales with the remaining corn husks. Add the tamales and steam over low heat for 1 hour. Remove from the steamer and let rest 10 minutes. Serve hot with salsa verde and sour cream. Makes 10 to 12 tamales, or 6 servings.

Martin served another new dish I’ve been meaning to prepare--fried plantains-- so I included it in my Tortilla Soup night. I like this explanatory video:

(these were my plantains)

http://video.about.com/latinfood/Fried-Plantains.htm

Finally, I recreated Martin’s Belle Melange, the Mexican bread pudding he makes to save the day for his restaurant. Warning: this is rich, gooey, and definitely not diet food. It is a mix between the inside of an apple pie and a classic bread pudding. I wanted to copy the plating in the movie, so I used mint, crema and blackberries as garnishes.

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 load French bread or baguette, with crust, cut into small cubes
1 pound brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup walnuts chopped
1/2 pound cream cheese, chilled and chopped
Garnish ideas: crema, fresh mint, blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 13x 9 inch glass casserole dish.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan, add the bread cubes and stir to coat evenly. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes or until lightly brown and crisp. Remove the bread and turn the oven temperature up to 400 F.
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cinnamon and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples, walnuts, cream cheese and toasted bread cubes. Drizzle with the sugar syrup and mix to evenly distribute. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.
Bake, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Then bake an additional 5 minutes without stirring, until the top is golden brown and crusty and the liquid is almost gone. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

To emulate the Tortilla Soup experience, share these recipes with the ones you love, and don’t forget Lila Downs or some fast spanish guitar. Bon appétit!

(left: the Dameron Tortilla Soup dinner al fresco)