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:

• 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:

• 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.