BUZZURRO

A few years ago when I was a resident of California I took a trip to New Mexico.
While there I went to a restaurant and had my first taste of a sopapilla, or a ‘pressed dough, like a tortilla, made of flour, baking powder, salt, and a solid fat.
This dough is deep fried until “golden brown and delicious” (like a doughnut), causing the dough to puff and crisp, and creating a large air pocket in its center.’

It was love at first taste.
It was simply heavenly biting into that fried dough and putting some sweet honey on top.
I really wondered why the restaurant even bothered to put dessert items on the menu.
I went back to California and searched earnestly for sopapillas.
I figured the word was Spanish so they would be most likely to be found in Mexican restaurants.
I searched all the Mexican restaurants I could find.
Finally I asked a Mexican friend if she heard of any restaurants that sell them.
“A sopapilla ? Is that like a torta (sandwich) ? I’ve never heard of it.” and with that I gave up my search.
I thought I would never eat a sopapilla again.
Now, years later, I find myself to be a resident of the state of New Mexico which seems to be the only state which serves sopapillas in many of it’s restaurants.
I can eat them whenever I want. How great is that ?
Sopapillas, after all, are New Mexican cuisine and not Mexican at all.

A recipe for sopapillas:

SOPAPILLAS

Sopapillas have been a New Mexico favorite for hundreds of years.
Derived from Indian fried bread, they are generally served hot with cinnamon and honey for dessert. Light and scrumptious! Makes approximately 20.

1 3/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp solid vegetable shortening
2/3 cup cold water
1 cup corn or canola oil
honey and/or cinnamon sugar to taste

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.
Cut shortening in using two knives until it forms a coarse mixture.
Gradually add cold water.
Mix together just enough to hold together as you would if making a pie crust.
Turn out on a lightly floured surface.
Knead gently until smooth.
Cover and let dough sit for five minutes.
Roll into a rectangle about 12″ x 15″. Dough will be very thin.

Cut into rectangles about 2″ x 3″ in size.
Heat oil until a drop of water sizzles when dropped into it in large skillet.
Drop a few sopapillas at a time into the oil.
Turn them over three to four times to make them puff up evenly, then fry for two to three minutes on each side, until they are golden brown and puffed up like small pillows.
Dust with cinnamon sugar or pour small amount of honey over the sopapillas.
Serve hot.

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