This is one of the most Mexican recipes I have, even if it doesn't look like very Mexican. On my first trip to Mexico many, many years ago, I stayed in the home of Doña Mercedes Gil de Vaca. We called her Doña Meche. She was an excellent cook, and every meal every day was a small masterpiece. Several times a week we would have la SOPA DE FIDEOS before our main course, but since the SOPA DE FIDEOS was so good, I used to think that it could have easily been our main course if she had only served more!Other pastas such as alphabet, small shells, or bow ties can be made into similar soups, but the SOPA DE FIDEOS of my youth still stands out as the original.
FIDEOS are thin little vermicelli noodles. You can buy them nested or already broken apart. The trick to making a good soup is to first brown the FIDEOS in oil with some garlic, and then add the tomato sauce before adding the chicken or vegetable stock. The tomato sauce needs to "brown" a little along with the FIDEOS and garlic.
After the stock is added, it's wise to adjust the seasoning and add some cilantro for good measure before covering the pot and allowing the FIDEOS to simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. They are then served as soup in a bowl and can be garnished with queso fresco o queso cotija.
In tonight's picture you'll see some guacamole to the side. This is the salad part of the meal, and can be eaten on warm corn tortillas as tacos de guacamole or on tostadas with a little more of the crumbled queso fresco o queso cotija sprinkled on top. It's a very quick, easy and economical meal, and Javier commented on how good it went down on a cold, snowy day.
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