Ingredients
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8 Tbsp buttermelted
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1 large yellow onionfinely chopped
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1 cup Muenster cheesegrated
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1 cup cottage cheese
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2 cups corn meal
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14.5 oz can canned corn
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1 tsp Kosher Salt
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1 Cup milk
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6 Large eggsseparated
Directions
Despite the name, this recipe is not a soup but rather a cornbread. It’s flavored with onions and two types of cheese. The whipped egg whites give it an airy consistency that reminds me of the cheddar bacon spoon bread I’ve taken to making for Thanksgiving. In Paraguay it’s traditionally served as an accompaniment to a beef soup, but I actually served it with Colombian Ajiaco, a divine South American marriage. Take my word for it that it also makes a lovely breakfast.
I discovered there is a great deal of folklore around the origin of Sopa Paraguaya. The dish is said to represent a merging of Guaraní and Spanish cuisines; the Guaraníes frequently consumed a doughy food made of cornmeal cooked in banana leaves over hot ashes, and when the Spanish introduced cheese, eggs and milk, this dish was the result. One story involves Don Carlos Antonio López, the founder of the Paraguayan state and a famously obese man. As story goes, one of his cooks (or “machú” in the Guarani language) mistakenly added too much corn flour to the governor’s favorite soup and poured the mixture into an iron container and cooked it in the “tatakua” (an oven made of clay and adobe). After tasting it, Don Carlos found it delicious and named it “sopa paraguaya.” According to another story, this dish was originally made with fresh corn and cooked in the ñaúpyvú (clay pot). When the Iberians arrived in Guarani lands, they called all food boiled in the ñaúpyvú “soup.” “Paraguayan” was added to distinguish it from the broth-based soups prepared by the Europeans.
Who knows which if any of these tales is true, but I can vouch for the flavor!
Source: Food.com
Steps
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1
Done
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Heat 4 Tbsp butter in a skillet and cook the onions over medium heat until tender but not brown. Set aside. |
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2
Done
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Combine the remaining butter with the cottage cheese and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the Muenster, onions, cornmeal, corn, salt, milk, egg yolks, and mix thoroughly. |
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3
Done
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Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and fold them into the batter. |
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4
Done
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Pour the batter into a greased and 10 inch square baking pan and bake at 400F 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. |
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