Mexican Tortilla Soup

Each step is crucial to the final flavor/texture result, so there are a few steps involved. To save time, you can rehydrate your peppers and char your tomatoes the day before you want to eat the soup. I did this and it also produces more flavor, but not necessary.First, you will need to toast and rehydrate your dried peppers. This is very simple. You will place a cast iron skillet on the stove and turn the heat to medium. Once the skillet is hot, add your peppers, you will only cook them 2 minutes on each side. It's lightly charring them and softening them. I used a spoon to press them down on the pan. Do not cook them past a couple minutes on each side or you can burn them and ruin the flavor. Next, slice a few slits in the peppers with a knife and pour hot water over the peppers until they are submerged. The water will fill up the insides of the peppers helping them to soak down. Press them down to soak them. Cover with a plate and let them soak for just 30-45 minutes, max. After they have soaked, remove them and pull the stems off and remove all the seeds. They should be super soft and very easy to do this. Add them to a blender and set aside. Don't blend yet.While they are soaking, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and line a sheet pan with foil. Add your whole tomatoes to the pan and roast them on the middle rack for 15 minutes, flip them over and then turn on high broil to broil them for another 10-15 minutes until looking very charred. Remove and add them to a blender. Don't blend yet.While the tomatoes are roasting, add ONLY 2 cups of the veggie broth to a large pot and add the onion, garlic, cumin (if using) and salt & pepper. Bring to a boil and once boiling, turn to medium-low, cover and cook 10 minutes. Once the onions are soft, add the broth mixture to the blender with the tomatoes.Your ancho chiles should be done soaking by now. Remove them from the skillet and pull the stems off and remove all the seeds. They should be super soft and very easy to do this. Add them to the blender with the tomatoes. Now you are going to blend everything up until really, really smooth. It should be like a really smooth salsa. You want to make sure to blend up all those skins from the tomatoes and chiles really well.Add the remaining 2 cups broth to the blender and blend once more. Pour the soup back into the pot and add the corn. Bring back to a boil and then turn down to simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste and add any more salt/spice. It should be a cross between a watery soup and an enchilada sauce. If you want it thinner, add more broth. I loved it this way though!Lasty, while the soup is simmering, prepare the tortilla strips. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and stack them and cut them into ½ inch strips. Spread them out onto a parchment paper lined pan and sprinkle with salt if desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes until very golden, tossing them around at the halfway point. Watch closely at the end to make sure they aren't burning.This soup base is delicious and drinkable on it's own, but it's the toppings that really complete it and make it feel like a meal. Ladle your soup into bowls and add chopped avocado and add your crispy tortilla chips, load them up, add lots of chopped avocado. Break up the tortilla chips in the soup. If desired, garnish with lime wedges and my Mexican Tahini sauce. Right before serving I sprinkled a little extra salt on top.