Sopes are one of the rich Mexican gastronomy’s unsung heroes. And today, I want to treat you to them through a very special nopal and chorizo sopes recipe.
I’ve never understood why these delicious bites don’t belong to Mexican gastronomy stardom in the U.S. That’s why I want to share this recipe with you.
That’s how this recipe for Nopal and Chorizo Sopes came along.
Are sopes different from tacos?
When I first learned about sopes, I admit that I thought: “It’s just corn flour masa with a bunch of ingredients on it –not too different from a taco”. Well, yes and no.
Once you try a sope, you discover that the thickness of the masa actually do make a big difference in texture and taste. Moreover, the fact that it’s fried add to it‘s crispiness as much as to its taste.
Besides, a sope lends itself to more refined and calculated preparations, acting as a sort of coaster for whatever elaborate concoction you wish to adorn it with. In this sense, sopes are an almost bite-sized reduction of a fully fletched combination meal.
Filling your sope
Indeed, you can get very creative with sopes. I’ve had them with ceviche, bone marrow, even escamoles (that’s ant eggs, by the way). Today we’ll be making nopal and chorizo sopes with green salsa.
In case you have not tried them before, nopales are a nutritious cactus branch. They come from shaved prickly bits, boiled to tender deliciousness.
Nopales are, without question, a staple in Mexican cuisine. They work beautifully in salads, smoothies, with fish, tacos, and of course, sopes.
To bind everything together, our sopes will feature a zesty green salsa, made simply with tomatillos, lime and a can of Rio Luna Organic Sliced Jalapeños. Not only do these chiles provide a rich, aromatic flavor.They’re also certified organic, non-GMO, kosher, fat-free, low calorie and cholesterol-free.
I love using the Rio Luna Organic Peppers as a starting point for my home-made salsas, as I have full control over the flavor nuances I choose to go for as well as the nutrients I’m putting in my body.
I hope you get a taste of these delicious Nopal and Chorizo Sopes and expand your Latino menu at home!
Nopal and chorizo sopes
Ingredients
- 5 sopes (store-bought or freshly made)
- 2 chorizos (this may seem like a lot, but they get reduced significantly on the pan and we’ll be filtering much of the excess grease).
- 2 medium-sized nopales
- 1 Russet potato
- 100 g of panela cheese
- 50 g of cilantro
- 200 g of refried beans
Green Salsa
- 1 large can Rio Luna Organic Peppers Sliced Jalapeño Chiles or their Green Chiles
- 150 g tomatillos
- 1 lime
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the nopal by simply putting it in boiling water until it changes color. Remove from water and dice into small pieces
- Cook the chorizo in a pan. Do not add oil or butter; the chorizo’s fat is more than enough to cook it with. In fact, I tend to filter out excess grease after I’m done cooking chorizo!
- Cook the sopes: you can get store-bought sopes, ready to fry, or make them from scratch using the same corn masa you use for regular tortillas. Simply make coaster-sized circles about ¼ inch thick and pinch the edges. Fry the sopes in oil until golden and slightly crunchy
- To make the green salsa: boil tomatillos until their color changes and purée them along with 1 can of Rio Luna Organic Jalapeño Chiles or, if you can’t stand spicy food, use the Rio Luna Organic Diced Green Chiles. To this chunky blend, add a touch of lemon juice and salt to taste
- Cut potato in long chunks, lightly brush it with oil and bake it at 350ºF for 30 minutes
- Now simply assemble the sope. Cover the base of the sopes with a layer of refried beans, then add the diced nopales with a couple of pieces of potato. Now add a layer of chorizo, and some crumbled panela cheese too. You may use cotija cheese also. Finally, add green salsa and a touch of cilantro.
If you enjoy this recipe at home, let me know in your comments about your experience. And if you want to try more of my recipes, check them here.
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