Finely dice the onion and sauté it with the lard or butter for about 3 minutes, making sure it doesn’t brown. Then add the milk and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. (Using lard will give the sopa a richer flavor.)

Beat the eggs until they are very frothy.

Add the milk mixture with the lard and onions to the fresh cornmeal. Stir well to cool it down a bit—it shouldn’t be too hot or the eggs might curdle. Add the eggs and mix.

If the batter seems too runny, gradually add more cornmeal until it thickens a bit. If it’s too dry, add a little more milk. The batter should be neither too runny nor too thick.

Crumble the cheese and add it to the batter. Mix well. The more you mix, the tastier the sopa will be.

Pour the batter into your chosen baking dish. If you use a deeper dish, the sopa will turn out more like a cake. You can also add some larger pieces of cheese on top and gently press them in so you’ll see the cheese when you cut it.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C), using both upper and lower heat, for about 45 minutes. Don’t open the oven until the time is up.