Ground Beef Sopes Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix the masa flour and ½ cup (120 ml) of water together with your hands. Once combined, add the rest of the water and knead until the dough forms a smooth ball.
• Heat a large pan or griddle over medium-high heat.
• Pat the dough out into 6 flat circles.
• Fry the dough, turning frequently, until just lightly brown about 5 minutes.
• Once the dough is cooked, shape the sopes by pinching the sides up to form a wall around the edge. Set aside to cool.
• Rip the stems off the dried chiles and discard the seeds. Rinse the chiles, if necessary.
• Add the chiles to a small pot of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat.
• Transfer the chiles and their cooking liquid to a blender and add 1 teaspoon of salt and the garlic. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Add the tomatoes to a small pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until the tomato skins split, then remove from the heat and drain, reserving ½ cup (120 ml) of the tomato water.
• Transfer the tomatoes to a blender with the reserved cooking liquid, oregano, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat a large pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the skirt steak and season with the meat seasoning and remaining teaspoon of salt. Cook the meat, flipping frequently until seared and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the meat to a cutting board and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
• Heat the corn oil in a deep, large pan over high heat.
• Dip the sopes in the chile sauce, turning to coat completely.
• Once the oil is hot, fry the sopes, flipping frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain the sopes on paper towels or a wire rack.
• To serve, fill the sopes with refried beans, carne asada, shredded lettuce, tomato sauce, Mexican crema, and queso fresco.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• For the shredded beef: Put the beef, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, cumin, salt, coriander and garlic in a large Dutch oven, or heavy-bottomed pot, and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking on a gentle simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Once the beef is tender, let it cool slightly in the braising liquid and then shred with two forks, while still in the pot, so as to let all the shredded beef soak up the delicious sauce.
• For the tomatillo guacamole: Combine the cilantro, tomatillos, garlic, avocado, jalapeno, onion, lime juice, cumin and salt in a food processor or blender and pulse until combined.
• For the sopes: Combine the masa harina, flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and slowly add the warm water while incorporating the dry ingredients using a stiff spatula. Once the dough comes together, transfer it to a floured surface and knead it by hand until it is smooth and not crumbly, about 5 minutes.
• Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and then cut it into 2-inch circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass; you should get 36 circles. Re-roll and re-cut scraps of dough until all of it is used. Create a ridge around the edge of each sope using your thumb, and working from the center outwards. You are trying to make a small well for the toppings to rest in once the dough is fried.
• Fill a cast-iron skillet with 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil and heat to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the sopes until their edges are crispy and just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer the sopes to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt as they come out of the oil.
• For the toppings: Melt the butter in a skillet, then add the refried beans. Stir to warm through and loosen the mixture. Set aside. Mix the pickled jalapenos and tomatoes and set them aside.
• Fill each sope with a layer of beans, followed by some shredded beef and a little tomatillo guacamole. Top each with some of the cabbage, tomato-jalapeno mixture, crema, cotija and cilantro.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine masa harina and salt; stir in water. Knead until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough into 16 portions; shape into balls and cover with plastic wrap. , Working between two sheets of plastic wrap, press four balls into 3-1/2-in. circles. On an ungreased griddle, cook dough circles over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes or until bottoms are lightly set. Turn and cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat; quickly pinch edge of circles to form a 1/2-in. rim. Return to the griddle; cook 2 minutes longer or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks; cover. Repeat with remaining dough., In a small saucepan, combine chicken and 1/2 cup salsa. Cook over medium-low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally. In a large skillet, melt shortening. Cook sopes over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side or until crisp and lightly browned. Remove to paper towels to drain. , To assemble, layer each sope with refried beans, chicken mixture and remaining salsa. Sprinkle with lettuce and queso fresco. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the masa shells. Cover and set aside. Then, in a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up lumps into small bits, until the meat is browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the salsa and cilantro. Set aside off heat. 2. In another skillet, pour oil to a depth of about 1 inch and cook over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Fry the masa shells, 3 or 4 at a time, turning once until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels. 3. Spread 1 teaspoon of warm refried beans on each shell. Add 1 tablespoon of the beef mixture and top with a bit of shredded lettuce. Add a dollop of sour cream. Serve at once. From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Steps:

• Whisk masa harina and salt together; stir enough water into mixture until dough is smooth and holds together. Form dough into 2-inch balls. Flatten each ball to a 1/2-inch thick circle.
• Heat oil to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) in a deep-fryer or large saucepan.
• Fry dough in the hot oil until sopes are just lightly browned, about 30 seconds per side. Remove sopes with tongs and place on a paper towel-lined plate; cool just until sopes can be handled. Pinch the edges of each sope together forming little 'boats'. Return to hot oil and fry until golden and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.