Friday, July 11, 2008

How to make Sopaipillas

Sopaipillas are a thing of my childhood. Just smelling one brings me back to summers on my grandparents' farm in New Mexico, helping Grandma make the pillowy fry bread, watching her roll out the dough with her special wooden sopaipilla roller.
If you go to a New Mexican restaurant anywhere but New Mexico, they try to serve these as desert. They can be, but in New Mexico, they're served *with* your food. They're fry bread, and you can cover them with honey, or fill them with chile and meat and beans (that's called a 'Stuffy'), or whatever you like.

Sopaipillas

4 cups flour
4 tablespoons shortening (I had someone tell me they've used oil, but I haven't tried it, so it's up to you - I'm sticking with what I know works)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
Oil (for frying)

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl, and cut in shortening.
2. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients (stick your mixing spoon handle or finger into the center, and make a hole). Add the water to your dry ingredients and work into dough.
3. Knead the dough until smooth, then cover, and set aside for 20 minutes. Go fantasize about how good these are going to taste.
4. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy pan at medium-high heat.
5. Roll the dough to about an 1/8-inch thickness onto a lightly-floured board. Cut dough into 4-inch squares and fry until golden on both sides, turning once. If the oil is hot enough, the sopaipillas will puff up, and become hollow shortly after being placed in the oil.
6. Drain sopaipillas on paper towels.
7. Eat!! Take a sopaipilla, drizzle honey all over it, and take a nice bite!


These go really great with spicy food, which is something I love.

This recipe was prompted by An Island Life's Group Writing Project.

1 comments:

Mozi Esme said...

Sounds like great comfort food! Thanks for sharing!

 
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