Sopes are just one of the many delicious recipes that can be prepared using masa harina, an instant corn dough. I keep several bags of masa harina in my pantry as one of my staple ingredients. Besides sopes, masa harina is key to preparing corn tortillas, tamales and gorditas when the craving strikes. I store the masa harina in the refrigerator to ensure a stable shelf life until I am ready to use it. It’s gluten free and a great and delicious alternative to all purpose flour as a coating or thickener. There are a few different brands of masa harina available, but the most poular is the Maseca brand. Prepare a batch of sope shells ahead of time. This way you will be ready for a quick lunch, dinner or snack by adding your favorite meat or vegetarian toppings .
Sopes de Chorizo con Papa
A typical breakfast for me on Sundays is homemade flour tortillas with potatoes and chorizo combined with sauteed onions and serrano peppers. Simple, but so delicious!
Ingredients
Ingredients
For Sopes
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups masa harina corn flour
- For Filling
- Grapeseed or olive oil
- 1 medium russet potato washed
- 7 ounces beef or pork Mexican chorizo
- 1/3 cup onion diced
- 1 serrano pepper minced
- 1 roma tomato diced
- salt and pepper to taste
You will also need
- 1 cup refried beans pinto or black beans
- 1 cup your favorite homemade salsa
- 1/3 cup finely diced white onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1/3 cup queso cotija or fresco crumbled
- lime wedges
Instructions
Directions
- In a bowl, add the warm water and salt. Stir to dissolve salt. Gradually add in the masa harina until dough forms. If it feels too sticky, add 1 more tablespoon of masa harina. Divide into 6 equal pieces, roll into a ball. Transfer to a plate, cover and set aside.
- In a small skillet, add the mexican chorizo and heat to medium. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, using a wooden spoon to crumble into pieces. When done, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess grease. Set aside.
- 3 .Preheat a large skillet or comal to medium heat for 5 minutes. Line a tortilla press with plastic. Add a masa ball in between plastic in press. Press gently to form a thick looking tortilla. Transfer to the hot comal/skillet. Cook for about 1 minutes per side. Turn a third time and sope should slightly puff up. As soon as it does, transfer it to a plate. Using a paper towel so you don't burn your fingers, pinch the edges up to form the sope, then pinch the sope in the center as well, set aside. Repeat with the remaining sopes until done.
- Preheat 2 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat for a few minutes. While the oil heats, slice the washed potatoes into 1/2 inch cubed pieces. Transfer to large skillet. Season lightly with salt and pepper, cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring now and then. When potatoes are fork tender, add the onions and serrano and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomato and chorizo from plate . Stir well to combine, cover and remove from heat.
- If you wanted to you could serve your sopes as is, but it is more traditional to fry them in some shallow oil just until they get crisp and golden. All you really need is about 1/4 cup of oil if you did not want to deep fry them. To serve, add beans to the bottom of each sope, then potato/chorizo mixture. Garnish with salsa, onions, cilantro, crumbled cheese and fresh lime. Yields 6 sopes.
I don’t have a paper towel here, but you should use one to keep from burning your fingers. it’s much easier to shape the sope while it’s still hot.
Tips~ I prepare a double batch and keep the sope shells in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When I want a quick meal, I flash fry them in a little preheated oil. Top it with my favorite ingredients.
The tasty sope above is loaded with beef Carne con Chile Rojo, lettuce, tomato, pickled red onions, cotija cheese and cilantro! Recipe for Carne, click ROJO ! And those RED ONIONS
A sope topped with creamy pinto beans, grilled steak(carne asada), toasted chile de arbol salsa pickled red onions, queso fresco, cilantro and lime!
How pretty is that. They ook aboslutely delicious
Love sopes but my mother-in-law showed me a little twist to add to this recipe . After you make the sope she dips it in a red enchilada sauce then slightly fries it and sets them in a sheet pan with a rack to drain. This sheet pan will sit in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while she makes the remaining sopes. Gives it another layer of flavor.
That sounds so tasty Mary! I am going to try that for sure. Thanks!
Can you fry the sope shells the night before? If so, is there a good way to reheat or just fill with stuffing and serve?
You most certainly could fry the sopes the day before if you wanted to. To reheat, I usually just heat them on medium/low heat in a nonstick pan. They will not be as crispy like when you first fried them though. If you have to reheat a bigger amount I would just reheat in the oven for 8- 10 to minutes at 350 degrees.
Thanks!
Yes sometimes they have sopes made and you just cook them but how you cook the ones made
Sylvia, after I cook them as directed in the recipe, I then drizzle some olive oil in the pan and cook the sopes just until they get a little crispy. I rarely ever deep fry them when I am preparing them for myself. I think they are delicious as long as you eat them while they are warm.
Hello! I am wondering why you would pinch the sole in the center when it’s still warm. I understand why the edges are pinched (to form the sope).
I think they pinch all around because many times when they are fried, they use pork lard and they want the lard to get into all the nooks to crisp and flavor the masa as much as possible. Otherwise it would just be a solid piece of thick masa. Have you seen how they prepare picaditas Teresa? It’s especially important to pinch the center of the gordita there for that reason.
Could you freeze the sopes once made?
Mary, if you are using masa harina, I would not suggest freezing them. The masa dried out quickly and they don’t hold up well.
Sonia, Is there a way to make these if you don’t have a Tortillia Press?
Definitely! I sometimes just place the masa ball in between plastic and use a flat bottomed plate or a cast iron skillet to gently press a thick tortilla.