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Sopa de queso
Cheese and corn soup
Sopa de queso: Nicaragua's Holy Week soup with cheese and corn rings
In Nicaragua, the Thursday and Friday of Holy Week mean sopa de queso, a meatless soup of small rings made from corn dough and salty cheese, fried and floated in a tomato and sweet-pepper broth enriched with milk. Unlike Honduran capirotadas, Nicaraguan cooks shape the dough into little rings (rosquillas) and thicken the broth with a spoonful of masa, so it is silky and pale orange. Nicaraguan queso seco and cuajada are traditionally made with animal rennet; a vegetarian feta or vegetarian hard cheese works well. The usual mistake is boiling the soup after the milk goes in, which makes it curdle. Chef's tip: a few mint leaves stirred in at the end are how many Masaya families finish it.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the cheese rings
- 7 oz masa harina
- ¾ cup warm water
- 5 ½ oz dry salty cheese (queso seco)finely grated; vegetarian if needed
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp ground annatto (achiote)
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor frying
For the broth
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 red pepperfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tomatoesgrated
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable stockgluten-free
- 1 tbsp masa harinafor thickening
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ tsp saltto taste
- 6 fresh mint leaves (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 7 oz masa harina with ¾ cup warm water and rest the dough for 10 minutes. Knead in 5 ½ oz dry salty cheese (queso seco), 1 egg and ½ tsp ground annatto (achiote) until smooth; it should hold together without sticking.
10 minStep 2: Roll pieces into ropes as thick as a finger and 10 cm long, then join the ends into rings about 5 cm across. You should get about 20.
Step 3: Heat 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the rings in batches for 2–3 minutes a side, until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
10 minStep 4: Warm 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot over a medium heat and soften 1 onion, 1 red pepper and 2 cloves garlic for 6 minutes. Add 2 tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes until thick.
10 minStep 5: Pour in 4 ¼ cups vegetable stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk 1 tbsp masa harina with a ladle of the broth until smooth, then stir it back into the pot and simmer for 3 minutes until lightly thickened.
8 minStep 6: Turn the heat to low and stir in 1 cup whole milk. Heat until steaming but not bubbling, and keep it that way from now on so the milk doesn't split.
Step 7: Add the cheese rings and 6 fresh mint leaves and warm through for 3–4 minutes, until the rings are hot and just starting to soften at the edges. Taste, add ¼ tsp salt if needed, and serve.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sopa de queso take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of egg?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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