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Last night we had one of my family’s all time favourite meals. Enchiladas, guacamole, and sopaipillas. I grew up in New Mexico so I have an affinity for green chilies and sopaipillas. New Mexican green chilies are the best in the world, and there are specific varieties grown in New Mexico. I now live in California and I can grow the same varieties in my garden, but they taste totally different. So, I try to stock up on the chilies when I visit my sister in Albuquerque. But this post is to discuss the finer attributes of sopaipillas.
The first time I saw sopapillas (they don’t even get the spelling right) on a menu in a Mexican restaurant in California, I got real excited–that was 40 years ago. I know better now. What I got was a deep fried flour tortilla with honey and cinnamon on it. How disgusting when I was expecting a fluffy bit of heaven.
Sopaipillas are found in Chile, Argentina, Uraguay, and Peru, but they are NOT the pillow looking pastries found in New Mexico. They may very well be delicious, but they are not what I know as sopaipillas. Albuquerque claims to have invented this version of the sopaipilla over 200 years ago. The name sopaipilla is thought to be the diminutive of Spanish sopaipa, fried dough sweetened with honey, from earlier xopaipa, from Mozarabic xupaipa, diminutive of úppa, súppa, bread soaked in oil, from Old Spanish sopa, food soaked in liquid, of Germanic origin, The pastry can be served as a bread or tortillas replacement during the main course, served with honey to pour in the hollow, or stuffed with meat and cheese for a main course. It is a very versatile food.
The following recipe was given to me 40 years ago and I have no idea what her source was, and I can’t even remember her name now. But my family is eternally grateful to her. This recipe calls for yeast, but there are others out there which use only baking powder. This recipe works so I have never tried another. I use real lard, but feel free to use shortening or butter in the recipe. My favourite cooking oil is peanut oil, so that is what I use. Feel free to use whatever oil is your preference. This recipe also calls for cooled scalded milk (milk has an enzyme that retards or prevents yeast from growing), but I’m always in a hurry so I use powdered milk and very warm water. Please give these a try and spread the knowledge and appreciation for New Mexican sopaipillas all over the world.
Amazing Sopaipillas
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: New Mexican
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1¼ scalded milk cooled to warm (or use ⅜ cup powdered milk and 1½ cups very warm water to replace the milk and the ¼ cup water)
- 4 cups sifted flour (I use white flour)
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon lard
- 1 package (2¼ teaspoons) active yeast
- Combine all ingredients (adding yeast last) in mixer bowl with dough hook.
- Knead for about 2 minutes adding water or flour as needed to get dough coming free from the bowl and not too dry or sticky.
- Set aside to rest (rise slightly) for about 10-15 minutes.
- While the dough is resting heat your frying oil to really hot!!! 400-420 degrees.
- Roll very thin--the thinner the better. Cut into squares or triangles.
- Deep fry a few pieces at a time so the oil stays hot. The color should be a nice golden brown and the pastries should puff up like pillows.
- If the oil is not hot enough, there will be little to no puffing up.
- Drain on paper towels
- Serve with honey, or dust with cinnamon sugar, or dust with powdered sugar for dessert. For a main course, open at one end and stuff with a mixture of meat, cheese, and vegetables and serve dry or smothered in enchilada sauce (red or green).
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Please let me know if you enjoyed making/eating these scrumptious bites of heaven.
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Feb 16 2015
Amazing Sopaipillas
[pinterest]
Last night we had one of my family’s all time favourite meals. Enchiladas, guacamole, and sopaipillas. I grew up in New Mexico so I have an affinity for green chilies and sopaipillas. New Mexican green chilies are the best in the world, and there are specific varieties grown in New Mexico. I now live in California and I can grow the same varieties in my garden, but they taste totally different. So, I try to stock up on the chilies when I visit my sister in Albuquerque. But this post is to discuss the finer attributes of sopaipillas.
The first time I saw sopapillas (they don’t even get the spelling right) on a menu in a Mexican restaurant in California, I got real excited–that was 40 years ago. I know better now. What I got was a deep fried flour tortilla with honey and cinnamon on it. How disgusting when I was expecting a fluffy bit of heaven.
Sopaipillas are found in Chile, Argentina, Uraguay, and Peru, but they are NOT the pillow looking pastries found in New Mexico. They may very well be delicious, but they are not what I know as sopaipillas. Albuquerque claims to have invented this version of the sopaipilla over 200 years ago. The name sopaipilla is thought to be the diminutive of Spanish sopaipa, fried dough sweetened with honey, from earlier xopaipa, from Mozarabic xupaipa, diminutive of úppa, súppa, bread soaked in oil, from Old Spanish sopa, food soaked in liquid, of Germanic origin, The pastry can be served as a bread or tortillas replacement during the main course, served with honey to pour in the hollow, or stuffed with meat and cheese for a main course. It is a very versatile food.
The following recipe was given to me 40 years ago and I have no idea what her source was, and I can’t even remember her name now. But my family is eternally grateful to her. This recipe calls for yeast, but there are others out there which use only baking powder. This recipe works so I have never tried another. I use real lard, but feel free to use shortening or butter in the recipe. My favourite cooking oil is peanut oil, so that is what I use. Feel free to use whatever oil is your preference. This recipe also calls for cooled scalded milk (milk has an enzyme that retards or prevents yeast from growing), but I’m always in a hurry so I use powdered milk and very warm water. Please give these a try and spread the knowledge and appreciation for New Mexican sopaipillas all over the world.
Please let me know if you enjoyed making/eating these scrumptious bites of heaven.
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By monnalu • Recipes • Tags: Mexican