Sopa seca de fideos (Mexican dry noodle soup)

Ingredients

• 300 g fideos (broken vermicelli, 2–3 cm lengths), sold as fideos at Mexican grocery stores
• 60 ml neutral oil
• For the tomato salsa
• 500 g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 250 ml chicken stock or water, to thin the salsa
• 1 tsp fine salt, adjust to taste
• To finish
• 100 ml Mexican crema, or crème fraîche
• 80 g queso fresco, crumbled

Method

1. 1
   Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic and stock or water to a smooth salsa. Season with salt. Taste before proceeding — the salsa carries all the seasoning of the finished dish; it must be correct at this stage.
2. 2
   Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the fideos in a single layer and toast, turning frequently, until they are a deep, uniform golden-brown with a nutty aroma. Pale or uneven colour means the defining flavour of the dish has not developed. This is where the dish lives or dies: under-toasted fideos produce a flat, starchy result; fully toasted fideos produce the nutty depth that makes sopa seca itself.
3. 3
   Pour the blended tomato salsa over the toasted fideos in one movement. The pan will hiss and the salsa will bubble vigorously around the noodles — that sound confirms the pan is at the correct temperature to begin absorption.
4. 4
   Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan immediately. Cook, covered and undisturbed, until the fideos have absorbed all the liquid. Check by drawing a spatula across the base — the pan should be dry with no pooling salsa visible.
5. 5
   Remove the lid. The surface of the noodles should appear dry and the edges should have begun to pull from the pan. Press a noodle between finger and thumb — it should be tender throughout with no hard core remaining.
6. 6
   Serve directly from the pan or transfer immediately. Spoon crema across the surface and scatter queso fresco over. Sopa seca continues to absorb moisture as it sits; it must be eaten at once.