By Karen Hursh Graber, writing from Mexico
Although not everyone north of the border considers soup a required course for the main meal of the day, in Mexico it is almost universally expected. Comida time means soup time, a healthy and satisfying start to a meal that might include rice, a main course and a dessert.
The soup course is known as sopa aguada, or “wet soup,” to distinguish it from the rice course, which is called sopa seca, or “dry soup.” And since sopa aguada is such an important part of a Mexican comida, a nearly endless array of soups has been created by the country’s home cooks and chefs. And many of these are substantial enough to be served as a main course for lunch or even dinner.
There are clear soups, cream soups, bean soups, and soups that are so full of meat, poultry, fish or vegetables that they border on stews. From something as iconic as sopa azteca (tortilla soup) such as that served at El Jardin in Oaxaca, to the whimsically named enigma de flores, a cream of requeson flavored with squash blossoms and epazote oil on the menu at Ciudad Sagrada in Cholula,
Mexico’s soups present a variety of flavors and textures not to be outdone by other cuisines. The sopa azteca at El Jardin is served in a bowl of broth with fried tortilla strips, accompanied by side dishes of shredded chicken, avocado, chile strips, and queso fresco, so that the customer can add ingredients according to individual prefer- ence. Other takes on tortilla soup are the Michoacán style sopa tarasca, flavored with ancho chile, at Don Artemio in Saltillo, and the sopa sacristia with chipotle at Meson Sacrista in Puebla. Los Danzantes in Coyoacan serves tortilla soup with chicharron, while the Los Danzantes in Oaxaca serves it with the local tasajo, or thinly sliced grilled beef.
Other hearty Mexican soups include those made with beans and legumes. Sopa xonequi, the black bean soup at El Campanario in Xico, contains corn masa dumplings, and Coyoacan’s Cora- zon de Maguey serves the caldo de frijol del sureste, bean soup with rib meat, radishes and habanero-laced x’nipec salsa.
At Meson Sacristia, the sopa del obispo is a fava bean soup with nopales and arbol chile, and Mercaderes in Mexico City serves lentil soup with chorizo. La Casona de la China Poblana in Puebla features crema de frijol, a cream of bean soup.
Other cream soups popular on Mexican menus have vegetables as their main ingredient. There is cream of onion, with grilled onions at El Jardin de los Milagros in Guanajuato; cream of squash blossoms with huitlacoche at Corazon de Maguey; cream of corn at Mercaderes; and cream of asparagus at Mexico City’s Café Tacuba. That city’s Biko offers cream of amaranth with the indigenous greens quintoniles and huazontle, and cream of cauliflower and turnips. At Nectar, in Merida, crema de queso de bola is made with the Yucatan region’s Edam cheese and garnished with grilled guava and pork belly.
And soups based on chicken broth are permanent fixtures on Mexican menus. These often have tomato added to the broth, espe- cially in sopa de fideo, or Mexican noodle soup, served at El Bajio in Mexico City. At Mercaderes, ham and cheese are added to this soup. A chicken and tomato broth is also the base for sopa de ajo, the garlic and egg drop soup at Café Tacuba.
Other chicken soup classics are caldo xochitl, which typically contains shredded chicken, rice, squash blos- soms and vegetables, served at Corazon de Maguey, and caldo tlalpeño, with shredded chicken and chipotle chile, offered at Mercaderes.
In Oaxaca, the regional sopa de guias at La Casa de la Abuela, is made with chicken broth and the leaves, vines and blossoms of the zucchini plant, with the addition of corn masa dumplings. These dumplings are also part of the tomato and squash blossom soup at Moxi in San Miguel de Allende.
Chicken is not the only ingredient to turn Mexican soups into satisfying meals. With over 5,000 miles of coast- line, Mexico has an abundance of fish and seafood to enrich soups.
Nico’s, in Xalapa, features both sopa de mariscos, a stew-like seafood soup, and chilpachole de camaron, shrimp in a tomato and chile broth characteristic of the Gulf coast region. Another version, made with crabs, is the chilpachole de jaiba at la Choca in Veracruz. On the Sea of Cortez coast, in Baja California, Muelle 3 in Ensenada serves a cream of clam soup, while Mision 19 in Tijuana offers a regional clam chowder. At La Marea in Playa del Carmen, on the Caribbean, the shrimp and roasted corn chowder is garnished with huitlacoche puree, epazote, and serrano chile essence.
Preparation and Serving Tips
Soup is a blank canvas, with nearly limitless room for creativity, as well as an opportunity for using ingredients on hand, whether vegetables, meat or fish. It is probably the most budget-friendly dish a restaurant can serve.
During the winter holiday season, even leftover holiday roast turkey can become the foundation for a delicious broth, such as that served at Gran Café de la Parroquia in Veracruz, where it is a signature dish. Classic soups, like caldo tlalpeño, often vary as to which vegetables a chef uses, depending on availability and what is in the kitchen.
The basis of a good soup is a good stock, whether chicken, beef, seafood, fish or vegetable. For a distinctively Mexican touch, try adding a chile de arbol for every eight cups of any stock. A sprig of cilantro or hierba buena can also be added to chicken stock; epazote and cilantro to vegetable stock; a sprig of fresh thyme to fish stock; and whole allspice to beef stock.
A hearty soup can easily become a satisfying meal, with a salad and crusty bolillos or warm tortillas, to comprise a soup-and-salad special for lunch. Vegetarian options are always welcome, and making a good vegetable stock is both easy and affordable. Cream soups and bean soups are especially adaptable to vegetarian versions.
Soup is comforting, nourishing, and even healing, so customers especially appreciate it during the winter months. In Mexico, it has been part of the daily fare since Colonial times, and should have a place on any Mexican menu.
SIDEBAR
Soup Sells:
Data Shows Consumers Want Unique Soup Options
A 2014 study from Chicago- based Technomic, Inc. reveals that more than two-fifths of consumers— an impressive 46 percent— strongly agree they visit certain restaurants specifi- cally because they enjoy the soup.
According to The Left Side of the Menu: Soup & Salad Consumer Trend Report, released in February 2014, operators across the foodservice spectrum are capitalizing on soup’s popularity. Restaurants offering soup also face considerable competition from the retail segment, with 54 percent of consumers saying they source soup from home at least once a week. That means it is vital for restau- rant operators to emphasize uniqueness in order to keep soup lovers coming through the door which is some- thing Mexican and latin restaurants are uniquely poised to do.
Among the report’s soup-specific findings:
• Half of consumers (51 percent) say it is important that soup can be bundled with other items.
• Fifty-eight percent say they are more likely to order soup as a combo meal than as a single item.
• Fifty percent want to try new and unique soups.
• Thirty-five percent say they purchase soup because they want to try new varieties.
• Ethnic and innovative soups are poised for growth, particularly among younger consumers.
• Consumers also reported they are more likely to purchase and are willing to pay more for a soup that is premium (40 percent); natural (37 percent); local (36 percent) and preservative-free (32 percent).
“Soup and salad are traditional favorites, but consumers still expect variety and something different on the menu,” said Darren Tristano, EVP of Technomic. “Catering to consumers’ need for variety when dining out — while also striking a balance between craveable, healthy, and innovative yet familiar offerings that justify price points — will be important in driving soup and salad purchases. Operators may also have room to ramp up soup and salad orders by promoting their appeal across dayparts and mealparts.”
For more information, visit www.technomic.com.
Sopa de Ajo:
Garlic and egg drop Soup
Makes 4 servings
1 lg. head garlic, peeled, separated into cloves, thinly sliced
2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 to 2 arbol chiles, soaked in hot water until soft, seeded if desired
2 roma or plum tomatoes, roasted, seeded and peeled
1 qt. hot, homemade chicken or vegetable stock
Salt to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1⁄2 baguette, sliced one quarter inch thick, sautéed in butter until golden
2 T. crumbled queso fresco
2 T. chopped parsley or cilantro
In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté the garlic in the butter and oil until just barely golden, taking care not to let it get brown. Remove from heat. Place the chiles and tomato in a blender with enough of the stock to move the blades, and puree until smooth. add the puree, remaining stock and salt to taste to the pot with the garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and add the eggs in a slow stream, stirring constantly. Serve garnished with one to two slices of baguette, queso fresco and parsley or cilantro.
Caldo Tlalpeño:
Mexican Chicken Vegetable Soup
Makes 8 lunch main course servings
1 4-lb. chicken, cut into serving pieces (or use only breasts)
1 med. white onion, peeled and chopped
2 lg. cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 dried chipotle chiles, each cut into quarters, seeded if desired
1 sprig cilantro
6 qts. water
Salt to taste
1⁄2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into chunks 1 lb. green beans, sliced
1⁄2 lb. zucchini, sliced
1 c. cooked garbanzo beans
Sliced avocado for garnish
Place chicken, onion, garlic, chiles, cilantro, water and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook over medium heat for 1 hour, or until chicken is tender. (If using breasts, the cooking time will be less.) Add carrots and cook 10 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes. Ladle soup into wide bowls, with a piece of chicken and a piece of chipotle in each, distributing vegetables and broth evenly. garnish with sliced avocado and serve with lime wedges.
Sopa de Lentejas con Chorizo:
Mexican Lentil Soup with chorizo
Makes 4 to 6 servings
1⁄2 lb. Mexican chorizo, crumbled
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 med. onion, peeled and chopped
2 med. carrots, peeled and cut into 1⁄2 (one half ) inch cubes
3 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 c. lentils
6 to 7 c. chicken or vegetable broth
2 canned chipotles in adobo, seeds removed if desired, diced
Salt to taste
Place the chorizo in a large pot and cook until it has rendered most of its fat. While the chorizo is cooking, puree the tomatoes and onion in a blender with a little bit of stock.
Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the chorizo, add the puree and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. add the carrots and garlic. Continue to cook for another minute. Add the lentils, bay leaf and broth. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender. Stir in the chipotles and salt to taste.