Bex’s Sopes de Carne Asada with 3 Salsas & Lime Crema

Directions

• Make the Sopes (or Skip This Step and Buy From the Store: Up to You)
• Preheat the oven to 200° F.
• Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• In a large bowl, place the masa harina. Slowly, work in the water with your hands. Knead until you have a uniform dough, about 5 minutes. It should feel like soft, moist clay. If it feels dry, add a little more warm water. If it’s sticky, add a little more masa harina.
• Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out, and let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. One at a time, pat or roll each into a circle about five inches wide and 1/2-inch thick. Brush a little of the vegetable oil on a skillet or comal and heat it over medium-high heat until it’s good and hot.

  • 

• Carefully add the first sope and cook it until little brown blisters appear on the bottom, about 45 seconds. Flip it over with a spatula and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds. Flip it over again, count to 10 and transfer to the towel-lined baking sheet.
• Lay the sope on a sheet tray and place in the warm oven. Repeat with the remaining sopes, keeping them all in the oven until you’re ready to shape them.
• When they are all ready, take them out and place on a work surface. Shape each sope by pinching its sides to form a little edge on along the border, all the way around.

  • 

• Bex likes to make some sopes that are “sauced” or dipped into salsa. The others are left plain. Set aside the amount you want to keep plain. For the sauced sopes, dip them one by one in the first red sauce with guajillos and anchos, turning to coat completely.
• Heat the corn oil in a large pan over high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the sopes, flipping frequently, until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.

  • 

• Drain the golden-fried sopes on a sheet tray lined with paper towels and return to the oven, to keep warm.

  • 

• Make Your Carne Asada & Grilled Onions
• Marinate the meat. Mix the fresh orange juice, lime juice, beer, minced garlic and salt with a zip bag.

  • 

• Trim the meat of any excess membrane. Place the skirt steak in the zip bag with the marinade. Shake it well and let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Prep the green onions. Wash them. Do not remove their long green stems.
• Prep the grill. reheat the grill to high and bring the meat to room temperature.
• Brush or drizzle the olive oil on the onions, toss with salt and set aside on a plate.
• When the grill is nice and hot, grill the meat for about 7 or 8 minutes on each side.
• Place the onions alongside the carne and grill until charred—but not burnt. (It’s a fine line, keep an eye on them). When lightly blackened in some but not all parts, set the onions aside on a plate, while waiting for the carne asada to grill.
• When both sides of the carne are golden browned, remove and place on a plate to rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Slice against the grain into thin strips or bite-size chunks when ready to build your sopes.

  • 

• Make Salsa 1— Red Salsa with Guajillos & Anchos
• Rinse, stem and seed the chiles.
• Toast the chiles in a hot pan—preferably cast iron, set to medium high—for about 5 minutes.
• If not already using a sauce pan, transfer the toasted chiles to a sauce plan and add water to cover, plus the salt, onions and spices. Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Once the water boils, remove the pot from the heat. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.
• Transfer the chile mixture with its cooking liquid to a blender. Add the garlic and salt. Blend until smooth.
• Heat the oil in a deep saucepan. Pour the blended salsa back into the pan.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary. Set aside until you are ready to build the sopes.
• Make Salsa 2—Salsa Green Salsa with Serranos, Anaheims & Poblanos
• Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse to remove the sticky residue.
• Peel and quarter the onion. Toss the tomatillos, onion and chiles in the olive oil and salt. Place the tomatillos, onion and chiles in a cast iron or oven-proof pan and roast for 10 minutes, Alternately, heat on medium-high in a cast iron pan on the stovetop. When they are nicely roasted and browned in spots, remove from the pan and allow to cool.
• Once cooled, remove the skin from chiles.
• In a blender, place the browned tomatillos, onion and chiles. Add the garlic, cilantro, oregano, and any pan juices. Pulse until smooth, about 30 seconds.
• In a large cast-iron pot or saucepan on the stove, heat the vegetable oil.
• Pour the blended salsa back into the pot with the hot cooking oil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary. Place in a bowl and let cool.
• Make Salsa 3—Red Salsa with Roasted Tomato and Chile de Árbol:
• Preheat the grill to medium-high setting.
• Brush or toss the onions and tomatoes with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.
• Put the onions on a grill pan and grill, shaking every so often, until both sides are charred, about 7 minutes.
• Grill the tomatoes until they are nicely charred, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove the onions and tomatoes from the grill and onto a plate. Let cool.
• Peel the tomatoes and remove their cores. Reserve their juice in a bowl. Roughly chop the tomatoes, and add to the bowl.
• Toast the árbol chiles, flipping them occasionally, until they just begin to smoke, about 5 minutes. Set them aside in a different bowl.
• Place the toasted chiles, onions, garlic, tomatoes and 2 cups of water to a blender. Add the cilantro, salt and pepper. Puree until the mixture is smooth. Run the blended salsa through a mesh sieve into a bowl. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
• Make Your Lime Crema
• Thin the crema with lime juice. Add the lime zest and stir.
• Place the lime crema in a bowl and chill in the fridge until ready to make your sopes.
• Putting It All Together: Build Your Carne Asada Sopes
• Serve each person two sopes on a plate. Three if they are starving! .
• Spread a thin layer of refried beans.
• Add a large spoonful or two of carne asada pieces.
• Add the salsa of your choice—or combine a drizzling of two or three.
• Time to garnish. Sprinkle finely shredded cabbage and minced white onion, if you wish. Drizzle a spoonful or two of the lime crema. Add a sprinkling of queso fresco. Top off with a cilantro, either a full sprig or minced flecks. Serve alongside all the three salsas at the table. Enjoy!