My UBC class in Mexican cooking from Oaxaca started with this traditional soup.
Sopa de milpa or ‘garden soup’. A milpa is a traditional Mesoamerican corn patch that consisted of rows of corn planted together with the companion plants such as tomatoes, zucchini, poblano chiles, ‘nopales’ (cactus paddles), and epazote (a herb). These, along with the onions and garlic brought from Europe by the Spaniards, form the main ingredients found in this soup.
Sopa de Milpa or ‘Garden Soup’
- pureed tomatoes, corn niblets, 2 poblano chiles, epazote (a herb) and oil were some of the main ingredients found in this soup.
some ingredients for Sopa de Milpa
- the soup started with 1 cup diced onion sauteed until translucent, at which time one minced garlic clove and 2 1/2 cups pureed tomatoes were added
- the two poblano chiles were sliced into strips
- a tip about buying nopales (prickly pear paddles) from Chef Rossana: Buy paddles approximately the size of your hand as larger ones can be too fibrous. Remove the spines by sliding the knife across at a steep angle.
removing the spines from the nopales
the nopales are cut into ‘hands’ and grilled
strips (rajas) of nopales
- 2 cups of diced zucchini, 2 cups corn niblets, the poblano chile strips, 2 cups of nopale strips and 5 or 6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth were all added to the tomato/onion/garlic mix at the same time. It was seasoned, brought to a boil and then reduced to a simmer.
everything goes into the pot
- pungent, and redolent of mint, licorice and a delicate kerosene, epazote adds a distinctive taste to the soup. Chef Rossana suggested removing any stems before adding to the pot as they are quite woody. It was added at this point and then the soup is simmered for another 5-10 minutes.
epazote
- the soup served
Sopa de Milpa or ‘Garden Soup’