Sopaipillas Recipe

To a New Mexican, is there anything more welcoming than a basket of freshly friedsopaipillas?Back in December, I brazenly categorized them as a New Mexican specialty that is "rarely found" outside of the land of enchantment.

此后不久,我断言是挑战Serious Eaters nationwide, who also laid claim to the treat in California, Texas, and Nebraska, among other lucky states. There is nothing like the force of anecdotal evidence to make a writer qualm, so in the interest of pacifying all the non-New Mexicans who also have access to sopaipillas, I'll revise my statement and say that sopaipillas are not especially common outside of the state.

But really, sopaipillas are wonderful. Not just because when I eat them I'm usually surrounded by friends in New Mexico, and not because the mere whiff of that fried yeastiness reminds me of home. No, sopaipillas are just plain delicious becausea) they're made with lard and b) they're fried in lard.That's right folks, I'm still talking aboutlard. I have pints of it still in my fridge. Lard ice cream, anyone?

The dough for sopaipillas, leavened and allowed to rise briefly, is enriched with a mere teaspoon of lard. Operating on the premise that one can never have too much of a good thing, in the past I've tried to double the amount of lard. But in fact,only a spoonful of fat is enough to enrich the dough.Any more fat will yield a crispy fried treat that's more cracker than bread, though of course no self-respecting New Mexican would dream of adding less. Besides which, the squares of dough are fried in lard, so there's enough fat involved to satisfy fat lovers.

I'm often asked how integral lard is to sopaipillas. Though I'm more forgiving when vegetarians do the asking, my general answer is that although vegetable oil or shortening may be used, sopaipillas fried in lard are especially rich and satisfying. I must admit, however, that the results are still extremely good whenshorteningis substituted for lard in the both the dough as well as the frying medium.

Finally, while sopaipillas are the classic bread accompaniment to a New Mexican meal, I'm partial to having them with my morning coffee. Fresh out of the bubbling lard, perfect sopaipillas are crisp on the corners and tender on the inside. Upon contact with the fat, the raw squares of dough will sizzle and puff dramatically; like pita bread, the hot air building inside forces the separation of the dough.

El Parasolin Espanola, New Mexico, makes one of my favorite renditions of sopaipiallas and serves them not only with honey—the common accompaniment—but also with little bowls of apricot preserves. It is the only restaurant I've visited that serves its sopaipillas with apricot preserves, but I think it's a brilliant pairing. Unlike honey, the slight tartness of the apricots cuts through the richness of the bread.