Squares of Sopa Paraguaya
(click to enlarge)

Sopa Paraguaya


Paraguay   -   Sopa Paraguaya
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4-1/4 #
***
2 hrs
Yes		 The "national dish" of Paraguay, a greatly enhanced corn bread. An important dish of the Guarani people strongly enhanced with European ingredients. Breakfast, Brunch, or Side Dish.

1-1/2
18
14
1/2
1
6
1
1
1
2
#
oz
oz
c
c
lrg
c
t
T
t
Onions
Queso Panela (1)  
Cornmeal (2)
Butter (3)
Milk, whole
Eggs
Milk, (more)
Salt
Baking Powder
Anise Seed
Prep   -   (30 min)
  1. Chop ONION small.
  2. Chop, crumble, or grate CHEESE small.
Run   -   (1-1/2 hrs)
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
  2. Let Milk and Eggs come to room temperature.
  3. Grease a 9 x 13 inch Baking Dish with Butter or Lard (both better than oil). Scatter a dusting of Cornmeal over the grease.
  4. In a skillet or spacious sauté pan, melt Butter or Lard. Stir in Onions and Salt. Fry stirring until Onions are translucent. Remove from the heat and pour in 1 cup Milk. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, beat EGGS until even and frothy.
  6. Stir in Onions, Cornmeal, Anise Seeds and 1 cup Milk. Stir it all until evenly distributed.
  7. Stir in Cheese and Baking Powder until evenly distributed. You should have a somewhat runny batter.
  8. Pour the Batter into the prepared Baking Dish.
  9. When the oven is heated, slide the baking dish in. Bake until it's golden on the top, 50 to 60 minutes. The internal temperature should be about 200°F/95°C.
  10. Pull from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice into squares.
NOTES:

  1. Queso Panela:

      The correct cheese for this recipe is Queso Paraguay (kesú Paraguai), which is imperfectly available in North America. Queso Panela is a popular Mexican type cheese, available from markets serving a Mexican community. It is a non-melting cheese, and works very well, but could be substituted by other cheeses, including Queso Fresco and Monterey Jack. For details see our Varieties of Cheese page.

  2. Cornmeal:

      This should be a finely ground yellow cornmeal. The pattern recipe favors Quaker brand, but I used Albers because that's what the markets carry around here. 14 ounces is 400 grams or 2-1/4 cups.

  3. Butter

      Traditionally, Lard is used, but butter may be more acceptable to North Americans, even though Lard has a better health profile. If you use Lard, render it yourself. Shelf stable supermarket Lard is made by hydrogenation and bleaching.

  4. Do Ahead

      This recipe can be made at least 4 days ahead and kept refrigerated, wrapped in plastic wrap. Reheat in a 350°F/175°C Oven until warm. Don't overheat or it will get stiff.

  5. History

      Unlike the cuisines of neighboring Argentina and Uruguay which are purely European, just incorporating a few native ingredients, the native Guaraní people have had considerable influence on the cuisine of Paraguay. In particular, they used a lot of corn (maize), corn meal, and Cassava in their recipes. The story of the name is that Don Carlos Antonio Lopez, president of Paraguay, was looking forward to his favorite "white soup" (Sopa). The cook accidentally put in much too much corn meal. Without time to start over, she put it in a pan and shoved it in the oven. President Lopez liked it so much he immediately named it "Sopa Paraguaya". This story conflicts with evidence the Guaraní people had been making similar, though simpler, corn breads long before President Lopez's time.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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