PATTI, THANKS for posting the taco recipe! I loooove tacos, and pork tenderloin was among the only 2 pork choices (the other was baby back ribs) when we took our trip to Sam's earlier this week.
Because I tend to make tacos a lot, and we just ha chicken mole over this past weekend, I decided to get a little creative with our Cinco de Mayo dinner. I was going to make sopes (a thick tortilla "shell") to fill with chicken stew but had no masa harina for the sopes. So I improvised. The result was delicious and, since I ended up with about 3 servings, I gave DH 2 while I had 1. My fork kept sneaking onto his plate to pick up more after I finished my serving...
I wrote it down as accurately as I could remember:
"
Sopes" with Smoky Chicken serves 3; about 40 minutes start-to-finish
INGREDIENTS1 Tablespoon oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies
1/2 tablespoon canned chipotle pepper, minced, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
2T fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, for a very smoky flavor)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
12 ounces chicken, cooked, shredded
2 eggs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
few grinds of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
Garnishes:
diced avocado
chopped cilantro
sour cream
chopped tomatoes
PREPMeasure corn kernels into a bowl and set aside to thaw.
In a skillet over medium-low heat, heat the oil and sauté the onion until tender. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes and chilies from the can to the skillet, then pour in about 1/2 of the juice that is remaining in the can. Save the rest to moisten the chicken mixture with, if necessary. Add the minced chipotle and sauce, lime juice, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt to the skillet and mix well. Fold in the chicken, heat for a couple of minutes, then lower the heat and and keep warm over a low flame.
In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the ricotta, salt, and pepper and whisk well. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder. Add the ricotta mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined; fold in the thawed, drained corn kernels.
Spray large skillet with cooking spray and drizzle in 2 tablespoons of oil. Heat over medium. Drop (about 6) 1/4 cup-fuls on the corn mixture into the hot oil and flatten slightly with a spoon or the back of the measuring cup. Cook until golden, flipping as necessary.
Check the chicken and add some reserved juice if it seems too dry. The mixture should be moist but not soupy.
Divide the corn cakes between 3 plates. Top with the chicken mixture, dollop sour cream and garnish with the avocado, fresh tomato, and cilantro.
