Plant-Based Spinach & Hibiscus Sopes from Kate Ramos

Spinach, Jamaica and Caramelized Onion Sopes

October 6, 2022

Sopes are one of our favorite masa shapes. These antojitos ("little whims") are thick pancakes with a raised rim, perfect for retaining toppings.

Kate Ramos, of the blog ¡Hola! Jalapeño, was kind enough to share her recipe for these vegetarian (vegan, if you omit the optional cheese) sopes with their delicious filling of spinach, hibiscus, and caramelized onion, from her cookbook, Plant Powered Mexican. The filling is a perfect use for spent hibiscus flowers left over after making agua de jamaica.

From the book:

Sopes are just one of the hundreds of things you can make with a lemon-sized ball of masa dough. This simple combination of masa harina, water, and salt can be shaped, filled, flattened, toasted, fried, or baked into a mind-blowing array of snacks, sides, and meals.

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The sopes are best made and eaten right away. If you’d like to make them in advance, keep warm in a clean kitchen towel or tortilla warmer. Then rewarm when you are ready to eat by brushing the bottoms with a little oil, filling with the jamaica mixture, and toasting in a hot frying pan, covered with the lid, until hot to the touch.

La Familia Masa Harina Bundle

Spinach, Jamaica, and Caramelized Onion Sopes with Avocado Crema by Kate Ramos

Kate Ramos

Servings

4-6

Recipe excerpted from Plant Powered Mexican by Kate Ramos and used with permission.

Ingredients

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2 cups masa harina
1 tsp salt
2-3 cups boiling water

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4 cups water
3/4 cup jamaica (dried hibiscus flowers), rinsed
½ cup chopped pitted prunes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch spinach, washed
½ cup crumbled queso fresco, optional

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1 ripe avocado
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons avocado oil
½ bunch cilantro, tough stems removed
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon arbol chili powder

Directions

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Combine water and jamaica flowers in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add prunes, and let steep until very soft, about 2 hours.
Once very tender, set a fine mesh strainer over a large container. Drain jamaica and reserve the cooking liquid to make Agua de Jamaica. Set soaked jamaica and prune mixture aside.

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Combine all the ingredients in a blender or Molcajete and blend until very smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Combine the masa harina and salt in a large bowl. Add water, starting with 2 cups, and mix with a wooden spoon. Add more water a bit at a time, until a soft, supple dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside while you make the filling.

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Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once shimmering, add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and soft, about 10 minutes. Add jamaica-prune mixture, garlic, and spinach. Cook, stirring until spinach is just wilted. Taste and add more salt if needed. Cover and keep warm while you cook the sopes.

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Heat a comal or cast iron over medium heat for at least 3 minutes or until hot, but not smoking. While comal is heating, grab a lemon-sized piece of dough, and roll into a smooth ball. If the ball cracks while you roll it, return the piece you just grabbed to the bowl, add more hot water to the dough, a tablespoon at a time and work in until it is soft. If it sticks badly to your hands, flour your hands with masa harina, then start again.
Pat the ball between your palms, back and forth, until it is a ½ inch thick round. Place the round on the hot comal and let cook, undisturbed, until a crust forms and easily moves around in the pan, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Remove the sope from the pan and let cool a minute or so, just long enough to keep your hands from burning. Make a slightly raised border around the sope by pinching the edge between your thumb and index finger to create a retaining wall of sorts. Repeat with the remaining dough.

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Spoon the jamaica-spinach mixture on top of the sopes, covering the entire surface inside the border. Add a dollop of avocado crema and some crumbled queso fresco, if using. Serve 2-3 per person as a main course or 1-2 for an appetizer.