my nana used to make this dish all the time and it's a good thing that she taught her daughters how to make it. i still think nana made the best one, but each of my aunts have their own way of making it which come pretty close. here's an overview of how i make it.
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you can use almost anything you desire. i've tried:
i sautée it with yellow or white onion, lots of garlic, ground pepper, salt, a tiny pinch of comino, and a pinch of oregano. drain the meat well of any grease, turn of the heat, and cover it until you are ready to add it to the fideo.
i love fideo the best. brown it in a little bit of oil or shortening. my grandmother used to use manteca, but i know better than that! with fideo, i use 4-5 coils and break one of them in half.
diced carrots, diced zucchini, and 1 small to medium sized tomato of your favorite variety. remember, roma tomatoes have a "meatier" texture and a bit sweeter flavor. they are an excellent item to making vegetarian versions of this dish. my mom and nana used to server this dish with a bowl of corn. try fresh corn if you can get it.
i always heat the pan and then add the oil to it. others heat the oil with the pan. either way, i use a high heat. electric stoves need more time to heat up. if you don't have any clothes on at this point, you should go and put some on while the pan is heating up ;)
brown the pasta in a bit of your favorite oil. i've been using garlic oil recently and i love it. i've used olive oil, but i think the garlic or canola oil is much better. remove from heat when you have it to a deep golden brown. put all the fideo onto a plate where you have put a paper towel. i leave one of the haves of the broken fideo coil and char it. this will give the fideo a very unique flavor.
drain all the oil from from the pan. i use my nana's tin collander in the sink and i let it drain well. lower the heat to about medium.
this is where you'll be glad you some clothes on. add a can of tomato sauce to the fideo. add a can of chicken stock (or a cup of fresh chicken stock) to the mix. bring to a gentle boil and then add the sauteed meat. you can add more water or chicken stock to make the fideo as thick or thin as you like it.
add the veggies and cook them to your favorite tenderness. add salt and freshly ground pepper as necessary, or just go overboard with your favorite spices.
serve with tortillas, or add some fresh tortilla chips to your sopa. i've even added fresh pinto beans to it!