Perfectly Simple Sopes (Masa Boats)

By LaLaCooks

Rick Bayless - Mexico, One Plate at a Time

The best sopes, like the best gorditas, combine the texture of crusty and soft - chewy/crusty underneath, meaty soft on top - with bright and spicy toppings. It's all about proportion, thickness, griddle heat and dexterity, but it's not difficult.

Ingredients

• 1 pound (2 cups) fresh smooth-ground corn masa for tortillas
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• Salt
• 1/2 About 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• Vegetable oil for the griddle
• 3 tablespoons asiento (the dark, very roasty tasting, crackling filled lard from the bottom of the barrel) OR 1 1/2 tablespoons EACH vegetable oil and bacon drippings
• 3/4 About 3/4 cup salsa (see Roasted Tomato-Green Chile Salsa)
• 1/3 About 1/3 cup grated Mexican queso anejo or other dry grating cheese, such as Romano or Parmesan
• 1/4 About 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Details

Servings 16

Preparation

Step 1

1, Forming and griddle baking the sopes: Heat a well-seasoned or nonstick griddle or heavy skillet over medium. Put the masa (fresh or reconstituted) into a bowl and knead in 3/4 teaspoon salt. If necessary, knead in a few drops of water to give the masa the consistency of soft cookie dough. Divide into 16 pieces, roll into balls and cover with plastic to keep them from drying out.
One by one, form the fat little tortillas that will become the sopes. Line a tortilla press with two pieces of plastic but to fit the plates (to be on the safe side, cut them from a food storage bag; the thicker plastic usually works better for beginners). Gently press out a flattened ball of dough, between the sheets of plastic to about 3 1/2 inches in diameter (it should be a little less than 1/4 inch thick). Peel off the top sheet of plastic, flip the fat little tortilla - uncovered side down - onto the fingers of one hand and then gently peel off the second piece of plastic. In one flowing movement, roll the tortilla off your hand and onto the heated griddle or skillet. After about 1 1/2 minutes, when the tortilla has loosened itself from the cooking surface and is lightly browned, flip it and cook for another minute or so - this cooking is just to set and brown the surface of the tortilla but not to cook the masa all the way through. While the first tortilla is cooking, continue pressing out others and adding them to the griddle or skillet; just be careful not to leave them on so long that they cook through.
2. Finishing the sopes: In a strainer, rinse the onion under cold water and shake off the excess moisture. Set out the remaining ingredients near the griddle. Heavily oil the skillet or griddle (my 12-inch griddle takes about 1/4 cup to oil it properly) and heat over medium. Fill the griddle with a single uncrowded layer of sopes, flat side down, then brush each one with the asiento or oil-and-drippings combination. Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of salsa into each sope, then sprinkle on a little chopped onion, grated cheese and chopped cilantro. Leave on the heat until the bottoms of the sopes begin to crisp and the salsa is war, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. (You may see the salsa boiling around the edges.) Serve on a warm platter or wooden board without a moment's hesitation - your guests will love biting into this simple perfection.

Working ahead: The masa base can be baked and pinched several hours ahead; cover the sopes and leave at room temperature. Once filled and heated through, they should go directly into a waiting mout, although even after they've cooled to room temperature, they're still delicious.