Elevate Your Holiday Hosting with Hrna Eatz's Mini Sopecitos

Mini black bean sopes with panela cheese, avocado, and salsa macha

November 7, 2024

Meet our November Chef en Residencia: Hrna Eatz! A Mexican-American chef and food creator, @hrnaeatz (who prefers to keep his real name off the interwebs), didn't celebrate holidays growing up, due to his religious background. Once he started living on his own, he created his own traditions, organizing festive dinner parties with playful, satisfying dishes based on the ones he grew up with for everyone to enjoy.

His residency features a full holiday meal (an appetizer, entree, and dessert), and he's kicking things off with mini sopecitos—bite-sized sopes perfect for holiday hosting. Each sope is layered with black beans, a cube of grilled panela cheese, and a creamy, garlicky avocado mash, before being topped with a drizzle of salsa macha. The beauty of these mini sopes is that you can make a few at a time using a tortilla press—and eat a few as well, without totally filling up before dinner!

Tortilla Starter Kit

Black Bean and Panela Cheese Sopecitos (Mini Sopes)

Hrna Eatz

Ingredients

blank

2 cups masa harina
2 cups warm water
½ tsp salt
¼ cup neutral oil

blank

2 cups cooked black beans, drained
1 tbsp neutral oil
1 serrano pepper, destemmed
1 dried chile de árbol
3 garlic cloves
¼ white onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
¼ cup water

blank

Panela cheese
2 large avocados
2 garlic cloves
Juice of 2 limes
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Salsa macha

Directions

blank

Heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions and serrano pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent and the pepper is nicely charred.
Add the garlic and chile de árbol and cook until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the beans, water, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
Mash the beans until they reach a chunky but spreadable texture. Let them cook for another 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

blank

Crush the garlic in a molcajete. Add the avocado and mash until smooth.
Add salt, pepper, and lime juice, and combine well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

blank

Cut the panela into 1-inch squares.
Lightly oil a pan and place over medium heat. Fry the cheese for 2-3 minutes per side until a golden crust forms. Remove and set aside.

blank

In a large bowl, combine the masa harina and salt. Gradually add the warm water, mixing with your fingers.
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth and no longer sticky. Perform the smush test by rolling a small ball and pressing down; if the sides don’t crack, it’s ready. If they do crack, add a bit more water. If the masa is still sticking to your hands, add a little more masa harina. Cover with a damp towel to prevent drying out.
Heat a comal over medium heat.
Roll the masa into ½-inch balls. Using a tortilla press with plastic liners or the bottom of a cup, press down to form discs about ¼-inch thick and 1.5-2 inches wide. Note: if you’re using Masienda’s Tortilla Press, you can create two to three sopes at a time.
Warm the discs on the comal for about 1 minute per side until a little bit of a crust forms, then remove and let cool slightly.
Pinch the edges of each disc to create a border for your toppings.
In a pan, head oil over medium heat. Place the sopecitos top (rimmed) side down and fry until slightly golden brown. Flip, then add a layer of black beans and a piece of panela to the center of each sope.
Once the bottoms of your sopes are golden, transfer to a plate. Top with avocado mash and a little salsa macha.