Mexican Sopes Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• Put the masa harina in a large bowl, pour in the water and get in there with your hands, kneading until you have a uniform dough. It should take only a minute or two. You want a nice, moist dough, so work in a little more warm water if it's dry. If it's sticky, work in a little more masa harina.
• Break the dough into four equal pieces and roll each one into a ball. Put the balls on a plate or cutting board and cover them with plastic wrap to keep the dough from drying out. One at a time, roll them out with a rolling pin or clean wine bottle until they're a thin circle about 1/4-inch thick. Brush a little of the vegetable oil on a skillet or comal and heat it over medium-high heat until it's good and hot. Carefully add the first sope and cook it until little brown blisters appear on the bottom, about 45 seconds. Flip it over with a spatula and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds. Flip it over again, count to 10 and transfer to the towel-lined baking sheet. Keep it warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining 3 sopes (adding a little more oil if you need to), and keep them in the oven until you're ready to serve them.
• Pour a couple of tablespoons of the oil into a skillet and add the chile, garlic and onions. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the huitlacoche (or mushrooms) along with a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the huitlacoche is heated through, about 5 minutes (or until the mushrooms are a little browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes). Take the mixture off the heat and stir in the cilantro.
• Arrange your sopes on a platter. Cover with a thin layer of Roasted Tomato-Chile de Arbol Salsa, the huitlacoche or mushrooms, a drizzle of the crema fresca and a sprinkle of queso fresco. Serve the remaining salsa on the side.
• Preheat the boiler.
• Put the tomatoes on a baking sheet and broil until the tomatoes are nice and charred, 10 to 12 minutes. Take the tomatoes out, let them cool just until you can handle them, slip off the skins and cut out the tough cores. Transfer the tomatoes to a big bowl (don't you dare forget the tomato juice that has leaked out and reduced to awesomeness on the baking sheet), and then roughly chop them.
• While the tomatoes are broiling, heat a dry skillet over medium heat and toast the chiles (in batches, if necessary), flipping them over occasionally, until they just begin to smoke, about 5 minutes. Set them aside in a bowl.
• Put the olive oil, garlic and onions in a saucepan, set it over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 7 minutes. Add the toasted chiles, tomatoes and 2 cups water, bring to a simmer and cook for another 12 minutes, so the flavors come together. Let it cool a bit.
• Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender. Add the cilantro, salt and pepper and puree until the mixture is very smooth. Pour the mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Store the salsa in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to a week, or in the freezer for a month.

Steps:

• Pour masa and salt into a bowl, add in enough water to moisten masa. Masa should be slightly sticky to the touch.
• Form masa into balls the size of a large egg. Once all are formed into balls cover with a damp towel.
• Place a piece of plastic wrap on the tortilla press or your kitchen counter. Place the ball of masa in then center. Cover with the other piece of plastic. Press down on the tortilla press or using a flat bottomed plate or skillet until the tortilla is formed and about 1/4 inch thick.
• Heat a griddle or comal on medium high, cook each sope for 1 minute. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds, once you take the sope off the comal, place it on a dry towel and on the side you cooked first, pinch from the inside of the sope to the edge to form a rim all around the sope, this will look like a tostada with a 1/2 edge around.
• Once all sopes are cooked and formed cover them with a dry towel. Heat oil in a pan or deep fryer to 350 degrees. Fry each sope on both sides for 3 minutes. Place them on paper towels to blot off some of the extra oil.
• Serve topped with beans or meat of your choice, and then top with your choice of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, crumbly cheese such as cotija or crema.
• Note: See Recipe #378725 for a good recipe for shredded chicken as pictured above.

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:

• Saute ground beef 5 minutes, drain fat.
• Add frozen vegetables and spices; cook until vegetables are tender.
• Fry sopes in 1 inch oil until golden.
• Layer sopes with beans, beef mixture, cabbage, cheese, tomato, sour cream and salsa.
• NOTE: The sopes ingredient was not recognized so here is where I'll let you know you'll need 6 of them. Sopes are a Mexican-type bread that are approximately 4-inch circles and about an inch thick.