El que' tiene tienda
y no tende tienda
debe vende tienda 		He that has a store
and does not tend the store
should sell the store

For many; a meal just isn't a meal without soup.

Warm up with a steamy bowl of Mexican soup

Many Mexicans do not feel they have eaten a full meal unless presented with a soup. In fact, soup has been an integral part of the substantial midday meal, known as comida, since colonial times.

For the foreigner facing a menu in Mexico, there is some degree of confusion as there are two categories of sopa here: sopa aguada, literally wet soup or what non-Mexicans think of as soup, and sopa seca (dry soup) which is pasta, rice or tortilla dishes where all the cooking liquid has been absorbed.

Menu writers usually don't make a distinction between the two, so be warned that when ordering sopa de macarrón you will be getting something equivalent to macaroni and cheese and not macaroni soup. There is, however, the delicious and ubiquitous sopa de pasta that is a soup. Just ask the waiter if you are in doubt.

There is another distinction and that is between stock-based soups, called sopas and caldos, and cream soups, called cremas.

While the cremas are very good, to my way of thinking it is the sopas which are so special. The key to them is homemade stock, mainly chicken. So many of my cooking students ask me if they have to make their own stock. For good soups, the answer is a resounding yes. It is easy, inexpensive and there is no justification for not making it. A few dollars' worth of wings and some vegetables will provide you with enough stock for many bowls of soup.

What is of utmost importance is to make the stock beforehand so you can refrigerate it before using. This allows the fat to rise to the top and it can then be removed. You can also freeze stock so that you always have it on hand. If you prefer vegetable stock, by all means use it.

Good fresh vegetables and legumes are available here throughout the year, so again there is no reason to use canned or frozen produce. Also, don't use all the vegetable scraps from cleaning out your refrigerator as the healthy flavor of a soup depends on the freshness of the ingredients.

Until recently, the fat traditionally used by Mexican cooks for centuries was lard. Pigs were brought to Mexico from Spain with the first conquistadors and pork products have always been popular here. Nowadays, however, a more health-conscious population favors corn, sunflower or safflower oils. Butter and olive oil are used, but not nearly to the same degree as vegetable oils. Often too heavy a hand is evident in the use of oil and a great advantage to doing your own cooking is cutting down on the amount of fat.

Bland foods are not very acceptable to most Mexican palates. But do not think that every dish is inherently hot as often the heat is served on the side. A typical table setting usually includes a salsa, so you can add your own to what otherwise is often a chili-free broth. But if in doubt, ask if "la sopa pica." In addition to salsas, many garnishes are added to the broth-based soups, turning them from simple fare into veritable luxurious dishes.

Now even if you don't want your soup with chilies, the one touch that really makes soups Mexican is the addition of a splash of lime juice. Limes here may be called limones, but limes they are and it is their slightly tart taste which supplies just the right fillip.

A note on number of servings. The portions depend, of course, on the size of your bowls and what else you are going to serve with the meal.


Tortilla soup

1 clove garlic, peeled
1 small onion, quartered
3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and quartered
6 cups chicken stock
1 large sprig epazote
salt, to taste
8 tortillas (use at least one- day old tortillas)
Garnish:
1 pasilla chili
1 avocado, peeled and chopped fine
½ cup crumbled queso fresco
½ cup sour cream
6 lime halves

In a blender, puree the garlic, onion, tomatoes with ½ cup of the stock. In a large saucepan, heat a small amount of oil and add the puree. Cook over a low heat for 7-8 minutes until it thickens. Add the remaining stock, epazote and salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
Cut the tortillas into very thin strips. Place on a baking sheet and cook for about 15 minutes in a 400 F (200 C) oven until crisp. They are usually fried in oil, but I have found that baking them works just as well and cuts down on unnecessary fat.
Cut the pasilla chili into thin rings and remove the seeds. Fry them for about a minute in a small amount of oil. Drain thoroughly on paper towel.
A few minutes before serving, reheat the soup just to the boiling point and add the tortilla strips. Lower the heat and cook only for 2-3 minutes or the strips will get soggy. Pour into individual bowls and pass the chili, avocado, cheese, sour cream and limes separately. 6 servings


Sopa de fideo (Vermicello soup)

4 ounces vermicelli
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium-size onion, chopped fine
6 cups chicken stock
¼ cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste

garnish: quartered limes. Optional chopped serrano chilies, small cubes of any
mild cheese, diced cooked chicken, fried tortilla strips
In a large saucepan, heat the oil and fry the vermicelli over a moderate flame until golden brown, taking care that it does not burn. Remove the vermicelli and drain on paper towel.
In the same oil, cook the chopped tomatoes and onion for 5 minutes. Drain off any remaining oil. Add the browned vermicelli, the stock, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add more stock if the soup is too thick.
Serve with the lime quarters and any, or all, of the garnish. 8 servings


Mushroom & coriander soup

1 medium onion, sliced thin
6 cups chicken stock
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ pound cultivated mushrooms, sliced
½ pound wild mushrooms (setas), coarsely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
¾ cup pasta shells
garnish: chopped cilantro and sour cream

In a large saucepan, bring the onion and stock to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the coriander and mushrooms, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the pasta shells and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.
Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with the cilantro and sour cream. 8 servings.


Poblano chili soup

2 poblano chilies, blistered, rinsed, seeded and deveined
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 cups milk
salt, to taste
4 ounces diced mild cheese
garnish: 2 tortillas, cut into very thin strips and fried

Puree the chilies with the stock in a blender.

In a medium-size saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add the chili mixture and cook for another few minutes. Stir in the milk and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, season to taste and cook for 10 minutes.
Divide the cheese among 6 bowls and pour the soup over. Garnish with the fried tortilla strips. 6 servings


Back to Recipes

March 01 2008