Ramone goes Latin for Birmingham Bowl Game Day recipes
This is it, Gamecock fans: Carolina (6-6) is headed to Alabama to take on the 25th-ranked South Florida Bulls (10-2) in the Birmingham Bowl tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Chef Ramone Dickerson took inspiration from the opposing team’s location in Tampa to create these delightfully tasty — and easy to make — sopas and chicken skin chips and salsa.
Sopes
makes 16-18
for the dough:
3 1/2 cups masa harina
3 cups hot water
1/2 pound lard
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup chicken stock
In a large bowl, stir the masa with the hot water until evenly moistened. Knead several times to make a smooth dough.
In a large bowl with a mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the lard with the butter at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add salt and baking powder and beat at medium-low speed to incorporate. With machine running, add the masa in 4 batches, beating until smooth and scraping down the bowl occasionally. Pour in the stock in a steady stream and beat until the dough is fluffy and soft, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate dough in the bowl for 30 minutes.
To form sopes, grab a ball of dough and flatten it between your hands, shaping it to form a circle about 3 inches across and about 1/4 inch deep. Use your hands to form a small raised edge around the dough circle. Continue until you have formed 16-18 sopes.
Preheat a nonstick griddle over medium high heat. Cook sopes on hot griddle until golden brown, flipping once. Top sopes with desired toppings and serve.
for the toppings:
1 tomato, diced
1 cup canned corn kernels, drained
1 cup canned black beans, drained
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
2 cups prepared Carolina Gold rice
1 cup pulled smoked pork
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
Alabama white barbecue sauce (optional, or to taste)
In a bowl, combine tomato, corn, black beans, red onion, cilantro and lime juice to make fresh salsa.
To assemble sopes: Place spoonful of rice on fried sope, add fresh salsa, pork and Alabama white sauce. Sprinkle with green onions.
Chicken skin chips
Serving size depends on your generosity
1/2 pound of chicken skins (ask your butcher or buy skins-on leg quarters and carefully remove the skin)
1/2 can RoTel
1 jar Tostitos queso blanco dip
1 cup chorizo, fried and crumbled
salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
To prepare chips: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken skins in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Place a second sheet of parchment paper on top of the skins and a second baking sheet on top of that to keep chicken skins flat while cooking. Bake 45 minutes or until chicken skin is golden and crispy.
For the sauce: In a microwaveable bowl, combine Rotel and Tostitos queso dip and heat until queso dip has melted. Add cooked chorizo and mix to combine.
This story was originally published December 28, 2016 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Ramone goes Latin for Birmingham Bowl Game Day recipes."