Grilled Corn Chorizo Sopes with Queso Fresco RECIPE FOR TODAY

Grilled Corn Chorizo Sopes with Queso Fresco
by CACIQUE

PREP TIME 45 min
COOK TIME 30 min
SERVINGS 4

INGREDIENTS
Corn Filling
2 ears fresh corn, husks removed and kernels cut from cob
4 oz. Cacique® Beef , Pork or Soy* Chorizo, remove from casing
Salt and pepper to taste
Sopes (pre-made sopes may be purchased in Hispanic stores)
2 cups masa corn flour
1¼ cup water
1 quart canola oil

NOPALES PICO DE GALLO
½ lb. nopales (cactus petals), pre-cleaned
1 cup tomato, small dice
1 bunch scallions
1 cup canned pickled jalapeños, small dice with seeds
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. lime juice
½ tsp. baking soda
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. Cacique®Queso Fresco, crumbled

PREPARATION METHOD
For corn filling: In a medium sauté pan, cook chorizo and corn for 10 minutes, crumbling the chorizo with a wooden spoon while cooking. Set aside and keep warm.

For sopes: Place the masa corn flour in a bowl and add about ½ cup of water and mix with your hands for about 2 minutes. Make 3-inch rounds of the masa using the palm of your hands, pinching the perimeter of the rounds to create a little wall. The cooking process is divided into two parts: 1) pre-cook on pan without oil 2) fry crispy. After completing all of the sopes, heat a wide thick bottom sauté pan or comal (tortilla cooker) over medium heat for 5 minutes. Once hot, place the sope on pan or comal and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Begin to preheat another pan with 1 quart of canola oil to 375F. Fry the pre-cooked sopes a couple at a time in the 350F oil until golden brown. Once browned, carefully remove onto paper towels.

For nopales pico de gallo: Fire up the grill or BBQ. While the BBQ is heating, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once water is boiling, add 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the water and boil the nopales for 10 minutes. Remove the nopales from the water and set aside. Once the grill is hot, lightly oil the nopales and scallions, season with salt and pepper and grill until a bit charred. Remove from the grill and set aside. Once at room temperature, dice the nopales and scallions into small pieces. Place nopales, scallions, tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For presentation: Place the hot corn and chorizo mix inside the sope, top with a spoonful of nopales pico de gallo, then crumble Cacique® Queso Fresco on top. Serve immediately.

Variation: Use soy chorizo for a vegetarian dish.