Sopes, oh yeah! Boy, are you in for a very nice treat! Because these Bean Chorizo Sopes are filling, fun and easy to make and oh-so-tasty. Also, they will transport you to the enticing authentic gastronomy of Old Mexico, where Sopes of every kind are one of the most beloved and celebrated national dishes.
Sopes are also extremely versatile. Just like tacos, the sky’s the limit when it comes to fillings, or in the case of Sopes, their toppings. You can make very simple Sopes by just spreading refried beans on them and then garnishing them with lettuce, queso fresco and your favorite salsa. You’re good to go! But you can also indulge trying many different combinations. Like these Bean Chorizo Sopes. Or Chicken Tinga (we have a recipe for that one here, if you want to try it). Also, Pastor Taco meat, Cochinita Pibil, etc! Or just plain and simple, wait for it: steak! No matter how you top them, your Sopes will be a success.
Today’s recipe is a good starting point for making sopes for the first time. That, though, doesn’t mean you must limit yourself to this recipe.
Some people have criticized Mexican food arguing that there are tortillas (in one form or another) involved in every dish. That is inaccurate and untrue. What is true is that all the best Mexican dishes do include Masa (what tortillas, tamales, sopes, et al, are made of!). And these Bean Chorizo Sopes are a great example of that. And I will inform the critics by saying that the same happens with other cuisines around the world. For instance, Italian and Asian, where noodles are ubiquitious in some shape or another. Or pita bread in Israeli and Middle Eastern food.
If you have a tortilla press, great! Put it to good use, just don’t flatten your tortillas too thin. Leave them slightly thicker than you would for your normal soft corn tortillas. If you don’t have a tortilla press. you can flatten your masa dough balls with a large heavy skillet or roll them out with a rolling pin. Just remember: always line your masa balls with plastic on the top and the bottom, so that they don’t stick to the surface.
Also, you can completely cook them through on a griddle or cast iron skillet, or finish them by frying them briefly, Your choice!
Bean Chorizo Sopes
Ingredients
- For the Sopes Masa Dough:
- 2 cups Masa Harina the same one used to make tortillas and tamales. You can find it in the Mexican/Latin food aisle of your grocery store.
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pork lard, shortening or olive/vegetable oil
- 1 – 1.5 cups warm tap water
- enough oil to fry the sopes if you desire to fry them. You can just cook them on the griddle/cast iron skillet if you want to slash calories.
- For the Sopes Topping:
- 1-20oz can black refried beans
- 8 ounces fried chorizo
- For garnish:
- Shredded lettuce
- Sliced or chopped onion
- Crumbled Queso Fresco
- Salsa
Instructions
- Make the sopes: In a large bowl combine masa harina, the salt and the lard/ shortening/oil tbsp. Start adding the warm water gradually as you knead, until masa dough comes together and doesn’t stick to your fingers anymore. You might not need the full amount of warm water. That's why you need to add it gradually, 1 or 2 tbsp at a time and then knead.
- Preheat a large griddle/cast iron/heavy skillet while you shape the sopes.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal balls (if you want smaller sopes, divide into more equally sized balls). Line your tortilla press with plastic sheets or cling film and flatten each ball into flat disks. Do not flatten them too thin as you would flatten the dough for normal tortillas, but a little thicker. If you don't have a tortilla press, you can use a heavy pot or baking dish to press them down. Just cover top and bottom of your masa dough ball with plastic so it doesn't stick to the press/pan/pot surface.
- Once your griddle/skillet is hot, start cooking the flat disks for about 1 minute on each side, until slightly brown. Remove each sope from the pan, let them cool down for about 30 – 40 seconds and then pinch the border all around the edge of the disk, to form a small wall of sorts. This will give the Sopes their traditional shape and will also help to keep the toppings in place.
- At this point you can either return each "walled" sope to the griddle to finish cooking them through (for an additional 1 – 2 minutes each), which will save you some calories. You can also fry each sope in the hot vegetable/olive oil for about 1 minute per sope, until slightly crunchy. Place sopes on a paper towel to drain excess fat from frying.
- Spread warm refried black beans on each sope with a knife, top with the warm fried chorizo, garnish with the lettuce, onion, and queso fresco. Dollop with your favorite salsa and enjoy warm!
Notes
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