Sopes are a type of antojitos, or Mexican snacks made of masa (tortilla dough). Depending on where you eat them and what they are filled with, sopes can also be known as pellizcadas, memelas, gorditas, garnachas and picaditas (to name a few). What matters in sope classification is its shape - it should be small (3-4 inch diameter), round, and with pinched sides that create a shallow dish (well, you can see the picture).
This particular recipe is known in some places as a garnacha for its simple, inexpensive filling (just salsa and onions), making this sope, as I recently learned, "the poor man's sope" (which makes sense now, thinking back to where I had my first sope experience). Although eating this type of sope can earn you some insults in the street, in the privacy of your own home, these sopes are delicious and a great budget option.
Ingredients
3 lbs. masa
salsa (store-bought, or see the AP Red Salsa post)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. queso fresco
vegetable oil
Directions
1 - Divide the masa into golf ball sized portions.
2 - Between two pieces of plastic (I recommend cutting up a large Ziploc bag), flatten each piece of dough to a thickness of 1/8 of an inch and shape into a circle.
3 - On a comal (or griddle) over medium heat, cook the sopes for about one minute on each side.
4 - Upon removing the sopes from the comal, immediately place them on a thin cloth. Fold the cloth over the sope (to protect your fingers from getting burned) and pinch all around the sides, creating a 1/2 inch high wall to hold in the filling.
5 - Put the oil in a saute pan, about 1/2-inch deep, over medium heat. Fry sopes about two minutes on each side.
6 - Drain on a paper towel and begin assembly. Fill the sopes with salsa, add chopped onion and sprinkle the queso fresco on top. Your basic sope is done.
7 - Feel free to customize your sopes to your liking - shredded chicken, chorizo, ground beef, beans, lettuce, cabbage and cream are some common sope additions to help you get started!
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