Jalisco Style Tostadas Or Sopes Recipes

SOPES

Steps:

• Mix Masa harina and warm water in a medium-size bowl and knead until you have a uniform texture. If the dough feels dry, add more water, little by little, spoon by spoon, until the dough is soft and manageable, like play dough. It doesn't have to be sticky. If you live in a place with lots of humidity, the dough won't need too much water. If that's not your case, make sure the dough has enough moisture to avoid any cracking on the sope's surfaces. Now, cover the dough with a wet kitchen towel; this will help to keep the dough moist. Always keep a small bowl of water next to your working area to keep your hands and the dough moist.
• Divide the dough into 10 pieces of the same size, cover with the kitchen towel.
• Heat the griddle to medium-high heat.
• To form the sopes, cut the plastic bag into 2 squares of about 6-IN each. Place one piece of plastic on the Tortilla press, then put down one of the small balls of dough and cover with the other piece of plastic, close the tortillera and press down gently with the tortilla press handle until you form a medium size thick tortilla. of about 4-1/2 inches.
• Lift the handle and remove the top plastic. Pick up the tortilla, holding with the plastic at the bottom, gently flip the tortilla to unto the palm of your hand. A large part of the tortilla will cover your hand.

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.).