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As a child I grew up in an enormous family. My father a Mexican immigrant was one of twelve brothers and sisters. Needles to say, at our family gatherings there was never a shortage of great food and great company.

It is my family's tradition that every woman bring a special dish to our events as like to call them. An event in our family could be a birthday, a baby shower, a baby welcoming, a graduation, or a wedding. These events were usually at a home of one of my Tia's or aunts. What ever the occasion, every one brought their appetite.

I would love to share a recipe for one dish that I can recall being brought to our events. The one dish that brings back fond memories is called sopes.

Sopes are a savory food made of Masa pronounced Mah-sah which is cornmeal that has been made into a soft wet dough. Sopes are traditionally made quite large about the size of a hamburger bun and cooked and fried then topped with a variety of toppings. The finished sopes are light and crispy on the out side and the inside is soft and tender. They are easy to eat no utensils are needed. There is something fun about eating food with your hands. Sopes being a thicker and more sturdy version of tostadas make it that much more enjoyable.

I remember always been told stories by the elder women in my family, about how in the old country the women used to grind the Maize or corn into a fine harina pronounced ah-reenah what we know as flour. Nowadays the same type of maize is easily found in ready to use bags, the only thing I have to add is water. I being an individual, who does not care for manually grinding corn for hours at a time, always opt for the more convenient method for making Masa. Yes, I buy the just add water kind. I have to say that this is not an acceptable way to cook in my family, but when time is of the essence I must do what I have to do in order to eat the food of my roots the same day I want it.

I like to use about 5 cups of masa harina and slowly add water. Once the masa resembles the consistency of play dough, it is ready to be formed into golf ball size balls. Five cups of masa yield about twenty to thirty of my smaller version of sopes, which I will describe for you later. The balls are then flattened and put on a hot comal pronounced co-mall, or what is known here in America as a griddle. To flatten the balls you can put them one by one between two thin sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper, or you can do as I do, and put a light coating of oil on your hands

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