Beef & Chorizo Sopes

I prepared the following for a pre-Cinco de Mayo event with friends and they were a hit! These little masa boats are topped with a seasoned beef & chorizo mixture and garnished with fresh lettuce, tomato, guacamole, salsa and queso fresco...

*Special thanks to my friend, Eli, for his pic since I was without a camera yesterday!

Traditional Mexican Sopes
recipe from About.com

3 cups masa harina
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon salt
Oil for frying

Mix together masa, 2 cups of water and salt until a soft dough forms. Add in additional water by the tablespoonful if dough seems too dry. Knead on a lightly floured surface until all ingredients are well combined and dough is softened, about 5 minutes.

Make small balls out of the dough. 1-inch for small (think large marble,) 2-inch for regular size (think walnut,) 3-inch for large sopes (think golf ball.)

Press each ball by hand to about 1/2 inch thick. Or sandwich a ball between two pieces of parchment paper and press with a plate. Or you can roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick and cut out with cookie or biscuit cutters.

Find a glass, or an object with a smaller diameter than the dough patties. The idea is to press the object into the sopes dough to flatten the center more while creating a raised edge. Do this through the parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Fry in a 1/4 inch of hot oil on both sides until lighlty golden brown and cooked through.

Top and serve immediately.

Beef & Chorizo Filling
original Joelen recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
1 lb ground beef (85/15), crumbled
1 lb Mexican (soft) chorizo
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon taco seasoning (I used Pilsen seasoning)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a saute pan over medium high heat, place oil, minced garlic and diced onions. Saute until softened.

Add crumbled ground beef and chorizo; stir and allow to brown.

Add taco seasoning; stir and season with pepper to taste.

Use mixture to top sopes and garnish as you wish with shredded lettuce, beans, tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, queso fresco, etc.