Put this on the menu at Cafe Tropical

Chili Colorado with Sweet Corn Sopes & Pinto Beans

Gatherer occasionally gets behind on reporting her gathering experiences. She would apologize but this bloggyblog doesn't pay bills so it get put on the back of the fire pit at times. In fact there may have been at least one meal in the past two weeks of which she forgot to even take photos. This photo didn't turn out well but it was a damn fine meal. For those of you that don't get the reference, or think I'm being culturally insensitive, the Cafe Tropical was the town restaurant on Schitt's Creek, one of my absolute favorite shows of all time.

I will first admit that I read this bad boi allll the way through and I ignored about 70% of the instructions. I mix my masa first because I think the dough needs time to sit for it to finish well. Again Gobble gives the instructions for a two person serving so if completing for 4 just remember to double whatever is on the card. I had some extra queso fresco hanging out from when I made elotes so I threw it in my dough for my sopes. I always add extra oil for sopes dough, its the southern cook in me. I tend to use melted butter when making them, I just like it better than vegetable oil or olive oil. I think the texture of crisp is just better with butter.

While my dough was resting I started the meat portion (which was step one on the card). The recipe calls for draining the precooked pot roast of excess broth, cutting in to bite size cubes then heating in a saute pan with the salsa roja (I think this was red enchilada sauce, if I was subbing chix I would use green enchilada sauce). I left the pot roast liquid and shredded with two forks and simmered it in a large(ish) sauce pan with the salsa roja. The recipe says to start frying your sopes next, but again they are wrong. Let that dough rest a minute and mix your slaw. Recipe card says it is supposed to have shredded cabbage and carrots, mine only had cabbage, not a big deal to me. The slaw is simple, its the cabbage, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Personally I love cilantro but I know many who don't, it is probably my favorite herb for cooking and lavender is my favorite for baking (which I do so often right?). I threw the slaw in the fridge to marinate. Don't forget we haven't fried the sopes yet. Recipe says microwave pinto beans. I open up said beans and its definitely more of a refried style than a "soup" style as Gatherer would call them. I decide there's no damn need to microwave this and just throw it in a medium sauce pan on the back burner on low. I like them better this way and would have done the same with soupy beans as well. NOW you can start to fry your sopes. I will either fry with veggie oil or crisco depending on how quickly I feel like clogging all of my arteries. Neither is great but in the case I went with the vegetable oil. I ran this in my ceramic coated cast iron, it's probably my second favorite pan and is used for about 80% of my cooking. I want more. Hint hint wink wink nudge nudge Hunter. While the sopes were on their first side, I stirred the slaw and checked my other two sauce pans. Flip sopes, repeat stir and check. To plate I did beans on top of the sopes (card says beef first then beans...no), the shredded beef I used a slotted spoon to plate over the beans, then slaw, avacodo and cojita. It looks like they expected a serving size to be two per person. Hunter and I had one each. I actually debated splitting one between the natives because I thought we were going to struggle with this one (because of the slaw honestly), but I went brave and gave them one each as well.

Rated full gallon of milos.

Y'all the kids loved it. Also this one is super easy to replicate/modify. Masa is cheap and easy to find. You can sub precooked meats. I love Curley's sauce free shredded chicken as a quick meal short cut. Also there are so many pre cooked roast and shredded pork options (again my go to is Curley's no kick backs here, just what I spend my actual money to buy at the place of gathering). Canned enchilada sauce would work well for the chili and slaw mix is a dime a dozen in most stores. This is inexpensive, easy and flavorful. This has been the meal I've made from Gobble thus far that makes me feel like I might put it on the menu for RayRay procured meal rather than a subscription meal night.