Jalisco Style Tostadas Or Sopes Food

JALISCO-STYLE TOSTADAS (OR SOPES)

Steps:

• Pico de Gallo: In a bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. The salsa is best prepared for optimum flavor 1 hour in advance.
• Meat: Cook *beef and chorizo in a heated skillet, breaking chorizo meat into small pieces, until browned and cooked through. Set aside. *Although the chorizo is wonderfully seasoned, my husband added a little more spices and such to the meat mixture: chipotle powder, cumin, part of a small cinnamon stick or small pinch of ground cinnamon, Mexican oregano, very small amount of salt-free garlic powder and black pepper -- that I can remember.
• Heat up the refried beans and simmer on low until ready to serve. Add more cooking liquid if the beans start to dry out.
• For the thick tortillas, mix masa and salt in a bowl. Add 1 1/4 to 11/2 c of water and knead for 1-2 min until dough comes together and is pliable. (A food processor works well for this step.) If the dough seems too dry, add more water, a tablespoon or so at a time.
• Divide dough into 8 equal portions and form into balls.
• To Make Sopes: Press the dough with your fingers from the center outwards to create a shallow, flat bowl approximately 5" in diameter. Heat 1" of vegetable oil in a skillet to 350° and fry tortillas approximately 2 min each side, until golden brown. Remove from oil and place onto paper towels.
• To Make Tostadas: Take each portion/ball of dough and flatten either with a tortilla press or with a rolling pin to about shy 1/2" thickness. Fry the same way as indicated in Step above.
• To assemble, place a tortilla onto a plate, top with refried beans, ground beef and chorizo mix, pico de gallo, cheese and shredded cabbage/lettuce and radishes. Add a dollop of crema and garnish with cilantro and lime.
• Serving suggestions: I placed the garnishes on a large platter for a "Build-Your-Own" Tostada Bar. Best part of this recipe? LEFTOVERS! Our sides: Recipe #117892 and Recipe #12740 (subbing strawberries, Texas Red Star grapefruit and Valencia oranges for the melons.).

SOPES WITH SHREDDED BEEF

Steps:

• For the shredded beef:.
• Put the beef, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, cumin, salt, coriander and garlic in a large Dutch oven, or heavy-bottomed pot, and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking on a gentle simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Once the beef is tender, let it cool slightly in the braising liquid and then shred with two forks, while still in the pot, so as to let all the shredded beef soak up the delicious sauce.
• For the tomatillo guacamole:.
• Combine the cilantro, tomatillos, garlic, avocado, jalapeno, onion, lime juice, cumin and salt in a food processor or blender and pulse until combined.
• For the sopes:.
• Combine the masa harina, flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and slowly add the warm water while incorporating the dry ingredients using a stiff spatula. Once the dough comes together, transfer it to a floured surface and knead it by hand until it is smooth and not crumbly, about 5 minutes.
• Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and then cut it into 2-inch circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass; you should get 36 circles. Re-roll and re-cut scraps of dough until all of it is used. Create a ridge around the edge of each sope using your thumb, and working from the center outwards. You are trying to make a small well for the toppings to rest in once the dough is fried.
• Fill a cast-iron skillet with 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil and heat to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the sopes until their edges are crispy and just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer the sopes to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt as they come out of the oil.
• For the toppings:.
• Melt the butter in a skillet, then add the refried beans. Stir to warm through and loosen the mixture. Set aside. Mix the pickled jalapenos and tomatoes and set them aside.
• Fill each sope with a layer of beans, followed by some shredded beef and a little tomatillo guacamole. Top each with some of the cabbage, tomato-jalapeno mixture, crema, cotija and cilantro.

SOPES

Steps:

• Pour masa and salt into a bowl, add in enough water to moisten masa. Masa should be slightly sticky to the touch.
• Form masa into balls the size of a large egg. Once all are formed into balls cover with a damp towel.
• Place a piece of plastic wrap on the tortilla press or your kitchen counter. Place the ball of masa in then center. Cover with the other piece of plastic. Press down on the tortilla press or using a flat bottomed plate or skillet until the tortilla is formed and about 1/4 inch thick.
• Heat a griddle or comal on medium high, cook each sope for 1 minute. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds, once you take the sope off the comal, place it on a dry towel and on the side you cooked first, pinch from the inside of the sope to the edge to form a rim all around the sope, this will look like a tostada with a 1/2 edge around.
• Once all sopes are cooked and formed cover them with a dry towel. Heat oil in a pan or deep fryer to 350 degrees. Fry each sope on both sides for 3 minutes. Place them on paper towels to blot off some of the extra oil.
• Serve topped with beans or meat of your choice, and then top with your choice of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, crumbly cheese such as cotija or crema.
• Note: See Recipe #378725 for a good recipe for shredded chicken as pictured above.