Day 1 - Masa

Cafe Davis is off to a great start! I, of course, forgot to take pictures of any of the guests. Lack of photographic evidence aside, we were pleased to have Sarah and Greg MacDonald, Janell Bauer, and Heath Dewey join us. Tonight's menu was built around masa, an ingredient suggested by Sara Ardrey-Graves (who will be joining us later on... on coffee night? Perhaps - my memory isn't what it used to be.) The menu was crispy potato sopes (masa boats) with salsa, goat cheese and herb salad; chicken enchilada soup; and green chile tamale pie. 

To be honest, I feel rusty to this whole blogging thing. It's been a number of years since I actually tried to remember to write posts about our Cafe Davis meals. In retrospect, I kick myself for slacking in that department because the memories start to fade. This is an example of a conversation I have with Mike: How many times have so-and-so been to Cafe Davis? Two? Three? Oh, you know - they were here that time with those other people. Riiiiight.

That's no good. I'm trying to be better y'all. Hang in there.

So anyway, back to the meal. I love food made with masa. I will eat me some tortillas like they are going out of style. Tamales? Yes, thank you. But I've never actually cooked anything with masa harina from scratch. And that's reason number 1 why Cafe Davis is awesome - you lovely people get me out of my comfort zone. No more cheese and crackers for dinner - we shall have sopes!

And yes, you too should have sopes. These things are dee-licious and pretty easy to make. Here's the recipe that inspired our appetizers for the evening. It's from Williams Sonoma. Sure, they would probably taste better if you made them in a fancy cast iron sopes pan, but a deep skillet will do just fine.

Crispy Potato Sopes (Masa Boats) with Salsa, Goat Cheese and Herb Salad 

Ingredients:

• 2 russet potatoes, about 8 oz. total, peeled and cut into large pieces

• Salt, to taste, plus 3/4 tsp. salt

• 1 cup fresh smooth-ground corn masa for tortillas, or 1 cup powdered masa harina  mixed with 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. warm water

• 1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar, plus more as needed (optional)

• 3/4 cup fresh salsa, such as red chili-tomatillo salsa

• 2 generous cups loosely packed torn herb leaves, such as watercress, arugula, mizuna  and/or basil

• About 1 cup crumbled goat cheese (chèvre), ricotta salata or Mexican queso añejo

• Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the potatoes with water to cover by 2 inches and season with salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and let cool for 15 minutes. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer or food mill into a mixing bowl. Discard all but 1 cup of the potatoes and return the 1 cup to the bowl. Knead in the masa and the 3/4 tsp. salt to form a soft dough, similar to a soft cookie dough. 

Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Divide the dough into 18 pieces, roll into balls and transfer to a plate. Cover with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. 

One at a time, shape the balls into disks about 1/4 inch thick and 2 1/2 inches wide. Using your thumb and index finger, pinch up the edge of the dough to create an upstanding border, about 1/2 inch high, all the way around the disk, forming the sope ("little boat"). Transfer the sope, flat side down, to the heated griddle and cook just to set the bottom, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, continue shaping and then cooking the remaining portions of dough. As you remove each one from the griddle, prick the bottom without penetrating the sope and transfer to a plate. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. 

Preheat an oven to 175°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set in the oven. Stir the balsamic vinegar into the salsa and set out the herbs and goat cheese.

In a deep-fry pan or heavy fry pan over medium heat, pour in oil to a depth of 1/2 inch and heat to 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer. (If you don't have a thermometer, dip the side of a sope into the oil—if it sizzles vigorously, the oil is ready.) Fry the sopes a few at a time until they are a rich golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain them upside down on the paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. 

When all the sopes are done, arrange them on a serving platter. Spoon about 1/2 Tbs. of the salsa into each one, top with a tuft of the herbs and sprinkle generously with the cheese. Serve immediately. 

Makes 18 sopes; serves 8 or 9 as an appetizer.

My thoughts on the recipe:

1. It didn't make anywhere close to 18 sopes. Maybe 12. I'm sure I could have made them smaller, but it was tough and I fear things falling apart in hot oil, so I went with the bigger size. 
2. I think it's ridiculous that it says to discard all but 1 cup of the potatoes. Since I was essentially making mashed potatoes, I kept those things to give to my 2 year old. Add some frozen broccoli and a maybe a chicken nugget and dinner's done.  Waste not, want not.
3. I made the sopes recipe super easy. As you see, there are a lot of steps listed above. My version: after cooking the sopes, top each one with a dollop of salsa verde (from a jar), a dollop of ricotta cheese, and some torn mixed salad with herbs from a package. Quick, easy, and yummy.

That's it for day 1! Day 2 involved more people and a change of venue, but there will be a couple of days delay before I'll be able to post about it. Until then, stay glued to the edge of your seat for the eggplantastic details!