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Serves 5 generously

5 large ripe tomatoes, roasted, or two 14 ½ ounce cans tomatoes, drained
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
6 sprigs cilantro
¼ cup safflower or canola oil
2 quarts rich chicken broth
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
Sea salt
½ cup Mexican crema or sour crème thinned with a little milk
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 cup crumbled fried pork rinds (optional)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
Crispy tortilla strips, made from 6 corn tortillas

For the Garnish

2 dried pasilla chiles, seeded and devined
1 tablespoon safflower or canola oil

Blend together the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. There should still be a little rough texture.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomato mixture quickly (it will splatter, so be careful) and stir constantly for 3-4 minutes, until it thickens and turns a darker color.

Put the broth into a soup pot or large saucepan, bring to a boil, and stir in the corn and the tomato mixture.

Add salt to taste, return to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Cut the chiles into small squares. Heat the oil in a small skillet and very briefly crisp the chiles. Remove and drain. These can be prepared in advance.

Set the crema, avocado, pork rinds, and chiles aside in individual bowls.

When ready to serve, put equal amounts of cheese cubes and tortilla strips in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle on the hot soup and serve immediately, The topping can be added to taste.

Note: Chicharrones, the crisp-crackling residue of deep-fried pork rinds, add both taste and texture. And when they are used as a garnish, you are not adding that many calories. Pork rinds can be found in huge, puffy sheets in Mexican neighborhood markets, and for this dish you can use the smaller pieces in cellophane bags that are in the snack section of many grocery stores along with the corn and potato chips.