Okay, this one was just too good… a new fave for sure!! Tonight’s theme… comida mexicana- sopes. A healthier twist on a great Mexican classic (these aren’t deep-fried, there ain’t no lard in these frijoles, and the veggies and chicken are all fresh and organic… light and wholesome to nurture your body and please your belly). And perfect for tomorrow- cinco de mayo!!
Mmmm sopes. You may have had them, maybe not.. if you have then you know how good they are (well how good they can be anyway). They are basically little corn cakes topped with whatever you love! Made with masa harina (corn flour- which is also used to make tamales), they are gluten-free and delicious (especially cool for those who don’t do wheat!). These are topped with my boyfriend’s famous tomatillo salsa (salsa & sauce are interchangeable- salsa means sauce ins Spanish- call it what you want!). His fam grew up in Mexico- good quality comida is in his blood… so he made the salsa for us tonight- yumm! Then I threw together some shredded chicken (flavored with his tomatillo salsa, peppers, and onions), beans, crema (Mexican style sour cream), and more tomatillo salsa! The sopes are easy… don’t let the length of this post scare you! I just wanted it to be as step-by-step as possible, but it’s pretty simple really. I won’t lie, it takes a bit of time (like maybe an hour for prep, cooking, and assembling- less if you’re fast and prepared), but it’s worth it… they’re delicious, light, and you can get as creative as you want with them! If you are really short on time, you can always buy sopes pre-made and put your toppings on, but I totally recommend trying them from scratch some time anyway, if for nothing else to see how easy it is. Plus, it’s so much more fun to say you made them yourself 😉
Just occurred to me… ‘what’s a tomatillo?’ you may be asking (that thing ^). Well according to some random internet searching, it’s “a plant of the nightshade family, related to the cape gooseberry, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos are a staple in Mexican cuisine.” In my words, a thing that looks like a green tomato with a wrapper and has an awesomely bitter taste. But don’t bite into one of these bad boys raw… cook it first and use to flavor salsas, dips, and such.
Makes 8 sopes (seems like a lot, but they’re little!)
INGREDIENTS
For sopes…
1 cup masa harina (corn flour- Maseca brand is sold at most stores)
warm water, about 3/4 cup
ghee (or other healthy cooking oil), about 2 tbsp
For tomatillo salsa/sauce…
8 large tomatillos
1/2 serrano pepper
4 chile de arbol (dried)
1/2 yellow onion
4 garlic cloves
salt, to taste
sprinkle of olive oil
For chicken & beans…
2 breasts chicken, boneless & skinless
2 cups chicken broth (I like low-sodium)
1 can of beans (whole or refried)
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced pasilla pepper, or other mild green chile
salt and pepper, to taste
For topping…
Mexican crema (to substitute mix sour cream & milk, about even amounts)
Cotija cheese, about 1/2 cup crumbled
cilantro leaves, small handful
tomatillo salsa (ingredients above- if you substitute, use salsa verde)
DIRECTIONS
Prepare tomatillo salsa first…
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Wrap up garlic cloves and onion in foil (separately)
Sprinkle with a little olive oil and salt
Wrap tightly and place in oven
Bake for about 20 minutes, until soft and mostly cooked
This will look something like this when done…
While onion and garlic are cooking, begin prepping tomatillos…
Remove peels and clean tomatillos (they have a light sticky residue naturally)
Place in a pot and fill with enough water to cover about half of the tomatillos
You want them to sort of half steam/half boil
(So they don’t absorb a crazy amount of water and become slushy)
Cover and cook over medium/high heat for about 10 minutes, until soft
Be careful not to let them cook to crazy long- you don’t
want the skins to rip from overly-violent boiling 🙂
Meanwhile, prep peppers…
Cut serrano in half and remove seeds
In a small pan, heat a teeny olive oil over medium heat and add peppers
Cook for about five minutes, until lightly cooked and fragrant
When tomatillos are ready, remove from water and put in a large food processor (or blender)
(If using s glass blender, let tomatillos cool are not too hot in there!)
Add onion, garlic, 1/2 serrano, chile de arbol, and a little salt
Blend until smooth
Adjust salt, as needed
If you want it spicier, add other half of serrano- pepper’s heat
levels vary sometimes so you never know what you’re
getting until you try it… best to start light and add as wanted 🙂
Put salsa in a Tupperware or bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate
To make chicken and beans…
Heat chicken broth over medium heat and add chicken breasts
Cover and let cook about 20 minutes, until cooked
While chicken is cooking, finely chop red onion, bell pepper, and pasilla pepper
Toss in a pan with a little olive oil and salt over medium heat
Cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and lightly browning
Keep half in pan (for beans) and set half aside (for chicken)
Put beans in pan and turn heat to low
Stir and keep warm until ready to serve
When chicken is done, shred into small pieces and return back to pot
Add pepper/onion mix
Take tomatillo salsa out of fridge and add 2 tbsp to chicken mix
(Return salsa to fridge to keep chilling)
Stir together and keep heat on low/warm until ready to serve
Now prepare the sopes… (phew, finally!!!)
Put masa in a bowl and slowly add water (1 small tbsp at a time)
and mix with hands until it becomes a doughy texture
It should be pretty dry, but not crumby!
Split dough into 8 equal parts (I did four at a time)
Flatten first, into small discs (about 1/4 inch thick)
Then shape edges into walled-rims, like a flat bowl
Heat ghee into large fry pan over medium heat
Lay sopes in oil, ridged- side down first (not super important, but helps keep shape)
Let cook for a few minutes, until golden brown, flip, and repeat
(Depending on the size of your pan, you may need more or
less oil- you want it to cover pan-bottom completely)
Lay on a paper towel (to soak any extra oil)
Get your toppings ready!
You want to serve while still warm 🙂
So begin assembling!
Add bean mixture (about 1 heaping tbsp)
Then top with chicken mix
Then a spoonful or two of tomatillo salsa
Then a spoonful of crema…
With another little dollop of tomatillo salsa (trust me- you’ll want it!)
Add a generous sprinkle of cotija cheese.. and why not- some more salsa!
And then top with cilantro leaves…
And eat!! Yumm!
(Idea: serve with a light coleslaw/cabbage salad with lime… delish!)
