How to make Mexican Sopes

Add Mexican sopes to your dinner.

When you are planning a get-together with friends or dinner for your family, don't forget about the "antojitos," also known as "little whims" or appetizers. These sopes serve to whet the appetite, making your guests want to eat more food. When you spoon a small amount of filling into the sope, then saute it, these little appetizers give your guests just a hint of what is awaiting them at your dinner table. Mexican food is traditionally fat-filled, but by using canola oil, you reduce the fat content.

Things You'll Need

• Filling:
• Cast iron skillet
• Canola oil to fry filling
• 4 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• Large saute pan
• 1 lb. Spanish chorizo, chopped
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 diced onion
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 1 diced yellow bell pepper
• 1 diced green bell pepper
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 chopped scallion
• Sope masa:
• Masa harina
• Warm water
• Tortilla press (optional)
• Plate
• Clean towel
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• Paper towels

Instructions

Make the Filling

1. Add enough canola oil to cook the potatoes until they are tender. Take them out of the pan when they are done cooking, put them in a large serving bowl and set them to the side.

2. Pour a small amount of canola oil into the saute pan. Shake the oil around the bottom of the pan and add the chopped chorizo, cooking it for four minutes. After the chorizo has become crispy, add the onion, garlic and peppers. Cook this mixture for eight minutes.

3. Add the chicken stock to the chorizo-vegetable mixture and cook for three minutes more.

4. Add the cooked potatoes, cilantro and scallions, cooking for three more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Make the Sopes

1. Mix dry masa harina with water until the masa is a smooth paste.

2. Roll the masa into small balls, about the size of a walnut. Flatten each ball by hand or in a tortilla press. After forming the disk, it should be about 1/4-inch thick.

3. Preheat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat.

4. Place the flattened disk onto the skillet or griddle.

5. Cook each disk on both sides until the surface is speckled with brown spots. As it finishes cooking, move it to a plate and cover it with a clean towel.

6. Grip the edges of each small tortilla and bend them up, forming a small bowl. The sides should about 1/8-inch high.

7. Reheat the griddle and, when it is hot, add the canola oil. After the oil heats up, carefully put the sopes (tortillas) into the oil. Add the filling for each sope and cook until the filling is warm and the bottom of the sope is crispy and golden-brown.

8. Move the cooked sopes to a plate that has been covered with several layers of paper towel. Top the sopes with garnishes.

Tips & Warnings

• Use garnishes like salsa and colby jack cheese for your sopes.

• Work carefully with the griddle as you are forming the sopes so you do not burn yourself.

References

• Gourmet Sleuth; Sopes; September 2009
• Mental Masala; Mexican Sopes --- Step by Step; June 2006