Sopa Mexicana 1920s ( Mexican Soup)
Step back into the culinary traditions of 1920s Mexico with this hearty and flavorful Sopa Mexicana (Mexican Soup), a recipe preserved in a unique Huamantla recipe scrapbook from UTSA’s Mexican Cookbook Collection. This soup blends chorizo, ham, vegetables, and egg yolks into a rich and hearty broth.
About this Recipe Scrapbook
The UTSA Special Collection Library has over 100 handwritten Mexican cooking manuscripts dating as far back as 1789. The books provide an intimate view of domestic life and culinary culture in Mexico and include a number of recipes such as pollo en agua dulce (chicken in sweet water), panque de mantequilla (buttered sponge cake) and guisado de chile (chili stew). A good portion of them have been digitized.
This manuscript stands out for its uniqueness, as described by the bookseller:”A fascinating recipe scrapbook from the city of Huamantla in Mexico’s smallest state, Tlaxcala. The notebooks were originally kept by a railroad bookkeeper between 1919 and 1927 to record daily passenger and freight receipts. The ledgers found a second, later used as a recipe repository, and the notebooks offer an unusual (unique?) glimpse of Mexican household cooking. The recipes range throughout all of Mexico’s regions, as well as Cuba, Puerto Rico, and South America, and the influence of France and the United States is also evident. Nearly 1000 recipes are preserved.”
Recipe Scrapbooks : Huamantla, Tlaxcala, Mexico. TX716 .M4 R436 1920z v.2. P. 16.
Original Recipe
Sopa Mexicana
Se pone a freír cebolla, chorizo y jamón, poniéndole en seguida el caldo necesario, y chicharos, zanahorias y nabos; esto, cocido y rebanado. Cuando suelte el hervor se le agrega jitomate frito y molido, yemas cocidas y desbaratadas en el caldo. Para servirse se le ponen trocitos de pan frito. Coneste caldillo puede también prepares macarrón.
Translated Recipe
Mexican Soup
Fry the onions, chorizo, and ham. Add broth as needed, along with peas, carrots, and turnips (cooked and sliced). When the mixture begins to boil, add crushed, fried tomatoes, egg yolks that have been cooked and crumbled in the broth. Serve with fried bread rounds or croutons. This soup can also be prepared with macaroni noodles.
How to Make Mexican Soup Step by Step
Saute onion until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add chorizo and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the chorizo begins to brown.
Add the ham and cook for 1 more minute.
Add the broth
Add peas, carrots, and turnips.
Bring to a low simmer and add the tomato puree and the egg yolks. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the turnips are cooked.
Serving
Serve with fried bread rounds or croutons. This soup can also be prepared with macaroni noodles.
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Sopa Mexicana (Mexican Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or lard
- 1/2 large white onion, chopped (110g)
- 6 oz pork chorizo (170g)
- 2 slices ham, chopped (62g)
- 2 medium carrots, cut into cubes (137g)
- 1 cup frozen peas (117g)
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 4 egg yolks, crumbled
- 5 cup vegetable or chicken broth 1.2 L
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook until tender and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the chorizo and cook until it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ham and cook for 1 more minute.
- Pour in the broth, and add the peas, carrots, and turnips. Bring to a low simmer and add the tomato puree, and egg yolks. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the turnips are cooked.
- Serve with fried bread rounds or croutons. This soup can also be prepared with macaroni noodles.
