Sopa De Col-Cabbage Soup

Spanish transcription

Se corta la col muy finita y se pone a cocer un momento en agua con un poquito de anis (muy poco para no le de sabor pues es solo para que se le quita a la col el mal olor. Pasado un momento pues debe hervir muy poco para que no es desbarate al hervir otra vez en caldo; se saca de la lumbre, se escurren y se le cambia por dos o tres veces agua simple. Le pone una cazuela al fuego con una poquita de manteca en ella se fríen sin que se doren unos pedacitos de tocineta que se tendrán cortados en cuadritos chiquitos y sobre ellos se pone en la cazuela el jitomate que se tendrá molido en crudo con una poquita de cebolla y un diente de ajo; ya que se frío  el pone caldo suficiente colado, la col que se tiene lavada, una ramita de perejil y sal si le hace falta pues tocineta tiene bastante. Ya que están suaves la col y la tocineta se sirve.

English Translation

Cut the cabbage very fine and put it to cook a moment in water with a little anis (very little not to give a flavor but to the away the bad oder. Waiting a moment, it should boil very little so that it doesn’t get ruined by boiling another time in the broth; take it off the fire, drain it and rinse it two or three times in plain water. Put a pot on the fire with a little lard, fry without browning a few pieces of bacon that has been cut into small squares and over that put jitomate that has been crudely mixed with a little onion and a tooth of garlic; when it is cold put in the broth that has been sufficiently strained, the washed cabbage, a twig of parsley and sal if needed because the bacon has enough. Sirve with the soft cabbage and bacon.

Sopa De Puré De Papas

Spanish Transcription

Le ponen á cocer, con cascara, unas papas, cuando están ya suaves se sacan, se escurren y así calientes se pelan y se machucan para que se forma como un puré, se deshacen en caldo que ya tendrá colado se pone al la lumbre una cazuela con mantequila ó manteca al gusto, en ella se fríen pero que no se dore una poquita de cebolla picada, sobre ella se cuela el caldo en que estarán las papas, poniéndole mas caldo si le hace falta para que quede especito, se le agrega perejil, y sal y se deja sesonar. Ya para servirse se ponen en la sopera pedacitos de pan frio fritos.

English Translation 

Cook some potatoes with the skin. When they are soft take them out, drain them and peel and mash them to make a puree, dissolve it in the broth that you have already strained, put a stew pot with butter or lard to taste. In that pot fry but don’t brown a little cut up onion, over this strain the broth that will have the potatoes putting more broth if needed to remain thick, add parsley, salt and let it season. To serve put little pieces of cold fried bread in the pot.

Note: It appears my Tia Chuchi spelled some of her words that are more commonly spelled with the letter “z” with an “s”. For example in this transcription she spelled both “sazonar” as “sasonar.” Another possibility is that she writes her “z” very much like an “s” as with the case with her spelling of “cazuela.” 

Sopa De Tortilla

Spanish Transcription

Se cortan en cuadritos procurando que queden chicos y del mismo tamaño todos, unas tortillas frías, se pasan por harina y huevo, batido primero las claras y luego las yemas, y se fríen en manteca muy caliente, poniendo en plato los cuadritos separados unos de otros para que no se peguen. Se hace caldillo como el anterior, poniéndole también epazote, y allí se ponen ya para ir a la mesa, los cuadritos de tortilla se tienen fritos.

English Translation

Cut cold tortillas into diced pieces trying to keep them small and the same size. Pass them in flour and egg, beat first the egg white and then the yolks, fry them in very hot lard putting them on a plate keeping them separated from each other so they don’t stick. Make the broth like before putting also epazote, put them on the table with the pieces of tortillas that you fried.

Sopa De Bolitas De Masa

Spanish Transcription

En una tasa se pone una poquita de masa, una cuadrada de harina, sal, una poquita de leche, se bate bien para formar un atolito muy espeso; se pone una sarten con manteca y cuando está muy caliente se van poniendo cucharaditas de la masa para formar tortitas lo más chicas que se pueda, Le muele jitomate asado, cebolla, y ajo, se fríe muy bién se le pone el caldo colado, sal se le hace falta, y las bolitas ya para sevirese, se le pone también al caldo una ramita de epasote.

English Translation

In a cup put a little corn meal, a tablespoon of flour, salt, a little milk. Beat well to form a thick atole; put a skillet with butter and when it is very hot start putting teaspoon of corn meal to form the smallest pancakes that you can. Mix roasted jitomate, onion and garlic, fry it well and put it in the strained broth and sal as needed, and when you serve put a twig of epasote in the broth.

Sopa De Bolitas De Harina

Spanish Transcription

Le pone en la tabla de amasar una tasa chica de harina con 1/2 cucharadita de •Royal; un huevo, una cucharada de mantequilla, y una poquita de leche, Se amasa todo, se deja reposar un rato; se forma con la masa un rollo delgadito que se rebana con un cuchillo, deben quedar pedacitos muy chiquitos; se frien en manteca muy caliente, se doran bién y ya se tienen en la sopera vaciandoles encima el caldo preparada como las anteriors, se sirve enseguida para que no se remojen mucho las bolitas.

English Translation

Put on a pastry board a small cup of flour with 1/2 teaspoon of *Royal; an egg, a tablespoon of butter, and a little milk. Knead all, let it rest a while; form or shape the dough into a very thin roll that you cut with a knife, the little pieces should be very small. Fry them in very hot lard, brown them well. You already have broth prepared as before in a deep soup pot (tureen), empty the fried pieces on top of the broth.

Prepare the broth as before and serve immediately so the pieces don’t soak too long.

Note: •Royal es una marca de polvo de hornear. *Royal is brand of baking powder. Refer to the first recipe (Sopa de espinaca) to see how to prepare a basic broth used for all soups.

Tia Chuchi

Tia Chuchi was another one of my great aunts. She was married to Isaac, Sara's brother. Isaac was known to me as Tio Cha- 'Cha' is a nickname for Isaac. Actually, I knew him as 'old Tio Cha' because my uncle was just plain 'Tio Cha' to me. I knew his son (my cousin) as 'Chacito.'  Using this system for naming was how my family kept them all straight. Someone would say, "I'm talking about Cha." The next question would be, "Which Cha-old Tio Cha, Tio Cha or Chacito?"

Tia Chuchi was said to be one of the best cooks around according to my mother, Norma Paredes Riester. The first two recipes on this blog are from Tia Chuchi's book. Tia Chuchi's book was dated February 21, 1937. It was signed Maria de Jesus- 'Chuchi' is a nickname for Jesus.

The inscription says, "Pardon the writing and see only the desire to be useful and the sincere affection of your sister."

Tio Cha had a hardware store where Tia Chuchi obviously got her recipe journal. This next picture shows the inside cover printed with the name of the store (El Refugio-The Refuge), my uncle's name, the address, phone number and what they sold.

Tia Chuchi was another very elegant woman just like her sister-in-law Sara. Here is a young Chuchi in traditional clothes:

Here is another picture of her later in life accompanied by my uncle, Joaquin Paredes Areizaga and her husband, 'old Tio Cha.'

According to my mother, Tia Chuchi was like Tia Sara in many ways but would have not appreciated  the comparison. They were apparently rivals. Like Tia Sara, Chuchi lived to a ripe old age well into her 90's.

Sopa De Bolitas De Espinacas

Spanish transcription

Se ponen a cocer las espinacas en agua con una poquito de sal blanca. Cuando están cocidas, se les quita el aqua, se escurren muy bien y se pican, y se les pone uno or dos huevos según alga falta para que unan bien y se frie en manteca muy caliente, poniendo cucharaditas en la manteca para que se formen como tortitas muy chiquitas.

Le prerara el caldo como el anterior y ya para servirse se le ponen las tortitas y unas teritas de queso fresco.

English translation

Cook spinach in water with a little white salt. When it is done, take it out of the water, drain it very well and chop it. And put one or two eggs as needed, bring together well and fry in very hot lard, putting spoonfuls to form little tortitas or pancakes.

Prepare the broth as above and to serve put the pancakes y strands of fresh cheese.

Note: The last sentence says "unas tertitas de queso." I am not sure if the word is 'teritas, tiritas,' or something else entirely. I translated it as "strips" until I find out otherwise.

Update: My cousin, Veva Cavasos, tells me that it comes from 'tira' or 'tiritas'-"Tiras & tiritas are small strands. Oaxaca chesse comes rolled up in a ball & you can cut tiritas de queso."

Sopa De Espinaca-Spinach Soup

Spanish transcription

Se ponen a cocer las espinacas en agua con una poquita de sal blanca. Cuando ya están cocí las, se retiran de la lumbre.  Se le quita el agua y se escurren bién.

En una tasa grande, se pone una poquita de harina, una poquita de leche, sal y un huevo. Se talé con molinillo para que eso queden bolitas; debe quedan como atole espeso, así es que si esta suelto puede ponérsele mas harina. 

Se pone la lumbre una sartén grande con muy poquita manteca y cuando está bién caliente, se le pone una poquita de la pasta que se formó con la harina, procurando que quede una tortilla grande muy delgadita. Luego se se saca de la lumbre. Se enrolla como una taquito y ya que enfrío un poquito. Se rebana delagadito.

Para el caldo, se muele jitomate, cebolla y ajo, se frie muy bién. Se le pone una ramita de perejil y se le agrega el caldo colado y sal si le falta , ya cuando falta poco para servirse (como 15 minutos, mas or menos) Se le pone la pasta de harina que tiene frita y rebanada y las espinacas picadas.

English translation

Cook the spinach in water with a little salt. When it is well cooked, remove it from the fire. Take off the water and drain it well.

In a large cup, put a little flour, a little milk, salt and an egg. Cut with a grinder. It should be as thick as atole. If it is loose, you can put more flour.

Put a big pan on the fire with a little lard. When it is hot, put a little pasta that was formed with the flour. Try to make a big very thin tortilla. After take away the fire. Roll up like a little taco a let it cool a little. Slice it thin.

For the broth, grind jitomate, onion and garlic, fry very well. Put a twig of parsley, add the strained broth and salt if needed. Put the pasta having fried flour and sliced ad chopped spinach.

*Please send any corrections to lisa.roman1969@gmailcom

Tia Sara

Tia Sara was my paternal grandfather's (Joaquin Paredes Roman) sister. She had two sisters, Anita and Maria, and two brothers Joaquin (my grandfather) and Isaac. They were born around 1900. Tia Sara lived until she was at least 90. She ended up out-living all her siblings. She left her recipe books to her nephew, Joaquin Paredes Areizaga who later left it to Luis Mario Paredes. Mario was my paternal first cousin and he eventually gave them to me. He had hoped that I would make photographs of each page, transcribe the Spanish and translate into English. This blog is my attempt to fulfill that hope.

Tia Sara is the one on the far left, then Anita and Maria:

Here is a picture of her with her brother Isaac Paredes Roman when she was a bit older:

She saved these recipe books from her sisters and most likely from her mother because some are dated back to 1888. This is a picture of her mother, Trinidad Roman dated 1880.

All of these books are hand written in cursive Spanish. They are faded and not easy to decipher especially for me as a non-native speaker of Spanish. I am hoping my poor transcriptions and translations can be brought to my attention and corrected in time.