There is no meal in Colima that does not begin with Sopitos Picados, a traditional snack that has become one of the most tasty appetizers in Mexican cuisine. This is the recipe that was published in the book Las Senadoras suelen guisar («Senators that Cook), edited in 1964. It is cooked in the style of Villa de Alvarez.
INGREDIENTS for Sopitos Picados
- 24 sopitos (thick corn tortillas)
- 1/4 kilo ground beef
- 125 grams green tomatoes
- 1 tblsp diced onion
- 50 grams of shredded cheese curds
- 24 radishes
- 125 grams butter
- Cascabel chili to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
The sopitos are prepared in a similar way to round, thin corn tortillas. Before cooking them, make a little border with your fingers around the edges. Once they have chilled, brown them in butter.
Cook ground meat with water and a little salt, and then shred in a metate.
Toast the chillies and grind with a clove of garlic, adding the cooked and roasted tomatoes. Reduce the mixture with the juice that was released from the cooked meat. Reducing the sauce with the broth of the meat is very important because it is precisely what gives the sopitos of Villa de Alvarez their exquisite flavor.
Once all this has been done, place the sopitos in a pan over the fire and fry sopitos in lard or butter, wetting them before in the sauce (they should be fried in lard until brown); Then top them with the meat, and bathe with more sauce. Add onion and cheese. Decorate with lettuce and radishes. They can also be made with fried chorizo, pork ribs or refried beans.
