Warm days & Cold nights here in Coahuila!



With the onset of Winter & weather in the States cooling things off we have had much cooler temperatures here as well. Would would think that "Sunny Mexico" could get so cold? But when the temperatures dip down even into the 40s here the houses tend to become very cold & damp feeling. Torreon is high desert & surrounded by the Sierra Occidential Mountain range. With the thick stone & concrete walls as well as the tile flooring it is hard to keep the houses warm or stay warm. Often times the outside temperatures rise while the houses stay very cold. We deal with it & put a few extra layers on but I tend to make more dishes to kind of warm us up internally too. Mexico has many sopas & regional dishes that likely are adaptations from the European settlers.

Mexican Potato Cheese Soup

1/2 cup chopped onion
7 cloves of garlic
1-2 chopped fresh jalapeño chilies
1-2 chopped tomatoes
Optional: strips of mild green Anaheim-style chilies or bell pepper
Saute the above ingredients in oil or butter until tender. Add:
2 cups of raw potato: sliced, cubed or grated
a pinch of salt
hot water: enough to well cover the ingredients
Simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Add a handful of cubed cheese or half a cup of carne machaca or finely shredded beef jerky. Carne seca is found in many Hispanic foods stores in the U.S.
Optional: when the potatoes are tender, stir in 1/2 cup milk and heat the soup until it almost boils.