Sopa de Fideo

It's raining for Oscar Sunday, so I figured I'd take a stab at the soup I've been loving at Sweet Savory Cafe in town.  It's Chicken Fideo.  Here's the recipe I'm using today:

Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil or 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces fideo, vermicelli or angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch pieces
3 - 4 dried or canned Morita or Chipotle chiles cut into
2 pounds Italian Roma tomatoes
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoon salt
6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock

Directions
In large saucepan or stockpot heat the oil or butter. 
Add pasta and saute until golden, stirring frequently and 
being careful not to burn. Stir in chiles and cook for 2 minutes
 longer. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, onion, water 
and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth. Add tomato puree 
and stock to browned pasta. Cook over medium-low heat 
until the noodles soften and the flavors meld, about 15 minutes.
Serve hot with the sliced avocado and cilantro as garnish.


*For the record...my son even liked this!  You could add cooked chicken,
but I liked it without as well.