There is a city that Jim and I love above all others. We spent many vacations in and around Santa Fe, New Mexico, and dined on typical Northern New Mexican food. When we fly in to Albuquerque and grab a rental car, our first stop before heading North to Santa Fe is Old Town for a leisurely lunch. Located across from Albuquerque’s Old Town Plaza is a very old restaurant that caters to a multitude of tourists. Normally, we would avoid the so-called “tourist-traps,” but La Placita is special. The art on the walls is worth a visit, and the food is always tasty. But the star of the show for me are their homemade sopaipillas, served hot in a basket alongside a simple container of honey. We won’t discuss the calories and fat grams in those babies!
On one visit, the manager stopped by our table, and I asked her what they did to get their sopaipillas to rise so high. I explained that when I would make them, they never reached such glorious heights and never looked as good or taste as light. This lovely lady motioned for me to follow her to the kitchen, where I was allowed to watch one of the cooks prepare the dough and another add the pieces of dough to the deep fryer that was dedicated strictly to those bundles of fluffiness.
What I learned that day was that the key to success with these homemade treats is the temperature of the oil in the fryer. It must be hot enough or the dough won’t puff up to form the proper sopaipilla “pillow.”
Sopaipillas may be served with typical Mexican, Tex-Mex or New Mexican food or just served because you like them. La Placita delivers them to the tables as the bread for the meal with butter and honey, but many restaurants create delicious desserts with sopaipillas as the base. Try them with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. The choice is yours and they are not difficult to prepare. Just make certain the oil is really hot!
HOMEMADE SOPAIPILLAS
In a large bowl, sift together 4 cups flour; 2 tsp. baking powder; 1/2 tsp. salt; and 2 TBSP. sugar. Cut in 1 TBSP. solid shortening (like Crisco) until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in 1 cup of warm water very slowly until mixture forms a firm dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface just until smooth. It should be the consistency of stiff pie dough. Cover and let the dough rest for 1 hour. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into squares or triangles.
Heat Canola Oil in a deep fryer to 400 degrees! Use a deep-fat frying thermometer to be accurate. Gently place 1 or 2 sopaipillas into the hot oil. Push them below the surface with the back of a spoon for a few seconds. Watch as they begin to puff up and release them. Turn them frequently as they cook until they are golden brown. Remove the sopaipillas from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve warm with butter and honey.
