Sopes!

During the month of July, our small group decided to take a break from our studies and have more "social" nights. Julia and Jeremiah offered to host one of these nights and declared it a Tapas Party. Well I thought that idea was perfect, not because it just sounds like a lot of fun but because I was eyeing some sopes the other day and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to try my hand at making them.

In my previous search in finding a recipe, I came across What can I pass you's blog where she was showcasing her own experiences with Sopes. According to What can I..., this recipe makes about 8 sopes. However, because we were going to a tapas party, i made ours into more bite size pieces so we ended up getting about 24 sopitos (little sopes). I thought that these were pretty easy to put together. Of course Brad and I were running late from opening a new bank account and I was rushing the beans so they didn't turn out at smooth and creamy as they should be. But other than that little hiccup, I think they turned out pretty well and the people at the party loved them.  We topped ours with beans, taco meat, shredded lettuce, and diced tomatoes, and had some queso fresco on the side for those who wanted some cheese. Like I said, they turned out great, but a word of warning...they do not reheat well. So enjoy them while they are hot and fresh.

Sopes
dough recipes from What Can I Pass You...

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1 3/4 cups of water
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• vegetable oil for frying (if you want to be strictly traditional, use lard)

Mix together all dough ingredients, except oil or lard. Knead until thoroughly combined.

Cut dough in half, divide each half into 4 portions. Form each piece into small balls.

Flatten each ball into a 3 inch circle using a rolling pin, the bottom of a plate or a tortilla press between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.

Fold sides up about 3/4 an inch. They don't have to be perfect! Prick the bottom of each sope lightly with a fork.

Heat about 1/4 of an inch of oil in a cast iron skillet to about 350 degrees. Fry sopes about 1 minute on each side, or until lightly crispy and slightly golden.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Top with your favorite Mexican food elements. Serve immediately.