#2 definition works best. When we lived in Paraguay, a Guarani family shared sopa Paraguaya with us which was in fact very similar to my recipe. It was a real treat sharing meals with them. One day we rode our dirt bikes over there and were invited for a chicken dinner. When we arrived, our kids ran off to go splash in the creek which was swollen from all the recent rains. Greeting Juana, (husband was Carlos) I asked her in Guarani of course how I could help her with preparing the meal. She stooped down and picked up a nice fat hen and started stroking its neck. She murmured something into its ear and the next thing I knew she had snapped its neck and THAT was going to be my dinner!!! So while she plucked it so non-chalantly, she asked me to start grating fresh cheese which was curing on the hanging shelf above the table. It was literally "green cheese" just like the Amish make here. I grabbed the hand grater and started grating until I had about a liter and added it to the milk that one of her sons had just brought from milking their cow. After melting lard in a cast iron pot hanging over the fire, we added 2 huge onions which cooked until translucent and the milk/cheese mixture was added. I was told to grind 4 ears of dried corn to mix in with that. She had a Tataqua-- dome-shaped oven made out of clay bricks and mortar which had a fire roaring inside. She swept all the fire out and placed the sopa mixture in a baking pan inside. She blocked the opening with more red clay bricks and it baked inside for about 40 minutes. Juana had the chicken roasting and excused herself and came back with not only a fresh tablecloth for the wooden plank table they had but with a fresh blouse on as well. We feasted on chicken, mandioca and sopa which tasted very similar to my scalloped corn. In their culture guests eat first so the 4 of us sat down with her husband to one huge tin bowl and one spoon (apiece). Their children did not eat with us. They would eat later if there was anything left. Our kids scarfed it all down. It was so tasty and if you can imagine how wonderful hot dogs, hamburgers and BBQ chicken taste at a picnic, well this was 100% better.Cellmate wrote:Heck, don't just read it, make it! It really is good!
Cellmate
So many years later, when we were helping neighbors bale hay and throwing the bales up onto the wagon, our meal following this was complete with this scalloped corn recipe. I couldn't believe how much it reminded us of sopa and I had to beg her for the recipe. It went into my favourite recipe collection and has been served at churches and in homes across this great nation of ours. I'm really glad you tried it out Cellmate
I always add onions and when I can find fresh Amish green cheese that goes on top just before it's finished baking.
This photo is from a Peace Corp blogger that I happened upon while searching for a photo of a similar oven.
