With fall being around the corner, that means it’s soup season.

Growing up, my mom made many different soups that I liked. Most of my family would say that menudo is my favorite, but huevos ahogados (drowned eggs) is actually my favorite. It includes some of my favorite ingredients, such as loganiza (Mexican sausage) chipotles and nopales (cactus). These are some of my favorite things to eat.

Chorizo is a Mexican sausage that is made from seasoned ground fatty pork; however, beef, venison, kosher and vegan versions can also be used. Longaniza is made the same way, but tends to be spicier than chorizo.

The chipotles give it a hot smoky flavor and they’re seasoned in an adobo tomato sauce, which is a lightly spiced, thin tomato sauce.

When I would come home from school, I always knew my mom had made huevos ahogados by the time I opened the door. The best part was my dad and two of my siblings didn’t like the soup, so I could have as much as I wanted without having to save any for them.

I always liked to believe my mom would make this soup because I was her favorite. That could be the reason why my oldest sibling tells me to visit more often because my mom will only make it now when I visit.

Drowned Eggs Soup

8 tomatoes

1 pound of fresh nopales

6 eggs

2 teaspoons chicken powder seasoning

2 cloves of garlic 2-3 chipotles en adobo

1 pound loganiza or chorizo

7 cups of water

The majority of these ingredients can be found at any grocery store, except for the fresh nopales. The nopales can found in any Mexican supermarket. My preference is La Superior on Stockton Boulevard, since I can pick up all the ingredients in one trip. They also give me the opportunity to get fresh chorizo or longaniza.

Being that this is my favorite soup growing up that my mom made, it was one of the first soups that I asked my mom to teach me how to make after I moved out. The best part of the soup is you don’t have to be a great cook to make it. It’s an easy soup to make and it takes about 30-40 minutes depending on the prep time. Each ingredient gives its own distinct flavor to the soup.

Cut the tomatoes in half and place a couple of them in a blender with a little bit of water. Put a couple of tomatoes in at a time because they will jam the blender.

Next, add the two cloves of garlic, about one-fourth of a cup of the no- pales and two or three chipotles into the pureed tomatoes and then puree them all together.

Turn the stove to medium-high heat and pour the puree into a pot. Next, add the water.

Put the lid on the pot to help the broth come to a boil a little faster.

As the broth comes to a boil, cut the loganiza into one-inch slices.

Add the loganiza to the broth. The loganiza has its own spices and flavor, which are brought out as the broth comes to a boil.

Let the broth boil for 15 minutes then add the chicken powder seasoning and the rest of the nopales.

After it has boiled for another 15 minutes, taste the broth. Add more chicken seasoning if broth is too bland or a little water if the both is too salty.

Next, crack the eggs and add them gently to prevent splashing. The eggs will be done when they feel firm, approximately 1-2 minutes.

When the eggs are cooked your soup is ready. It goes best with warm tortillas and queso (cheese) Oaxaca or queso Casero. These two types can be found at any Mexican supermarket.

When a day comes that homemade soup is on your mind, give this soup a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Miguel Lopez can be reached at [email protected]