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and flatten manually. This is the way I was taught by my grandmother and it seems to be faster for me.

The flattened corn patties are cooked for only a few minutes on both side and then are sent to a boiling bath of corn oil. They are fried in the oil for only a few seconds, before they puff up and resemble a hollow odd shaped ball. These hollow balls can also be cut down the middle and gently opened, then stuffed with the same toppings as sopes but these are called gorditas. gorditas are not as quick and easy to make, and I personally do not recommend them as a pot luck dish. The sopes are then promptly removed from the oil and placed on a paper towel to drain. Then they are topped with a vast assortment of toppings.

I like many of you enjoy pot luck events; maybe it is my way of showing off my heirloom recipes. After attending a few pot luck dinners I wanted to come up with a dish that would be smaller and easier to eat, so I began to make these sopes into a smaller savory treat that can be taken along to all pot luck dinners. When making sopes for pot luck, I like to make sopes into hordourve size treats that a person at a gathering can take one or two bites of and not need a separate dinner plate to enjoy. Sopes are also a great dish to take along because they are easy to reheat in a microwave or conventional oven.

Instead of the full size balls of masa, I begin with balls half the size of the original golf balls. I flatten the smaller balls the same way I would a larger sope, and then I cook them on the griddle on both sides for about a minute per side. After the sope is taken off of the griddle, I put it into a pan with corn oil where I fry it for about another minute or until the sope puffs into a ball and are golden brown. I make sure to take the sopes out of the oil quickly careful not to let them burn in the hot oil. I let them drain on a paper napkin. While the sopes are draining I prepare the topping. The topping I prefer to use is a humble toping that is sure to make all guests happy whether they are carnivores or vegetarians.

I use a can or two of whole canned pinto beans depending on how thick I want the coating of beans to be. I then squish and flatten the beans. Each sope will then be covered in a thin helping of beans. Then a small amount of parmesan cheese is sprinkled on the beans. I use parmesan cheese because it is the only hard dry cheese that resembles favorite cheese of Mexico called queso anejo, or aged cheese. I then follow this by adding shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes. Finally I top off the finished sopes with a nice helping of crumbled queso fresco or fresh cheese, another of Mexico's favorite cheeses.

The last step in my recipe is to take a big bite and enjoy. This is my recipe for a wonderful authentic Mexican dish that would go great as a pot luck dish. Buen provecho.

Learn more about this author, Melissa Quin.
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