As I was driving through Medford last week, I spotted a food truck headed in the opposite direction with the magical words "Stuffed Sopapillas" emblazoned on its side. My heart nearly stopped! Could it be true? Real sopapillas in Boston.
Today I Googled them and found Papi's Stuffed Sopapillas. It looks like they're just getting started, appearing around the Boston area in different locations every day. I started plotting how I'd make it to one of the locations - maybe I could take the kids for dinner in Malden Circle on a Monday?
Then I made the mistake of looking at the menu. Corned beef? Buffalo chicken? Bulgogi? Okay, I get that. Sopapillas are basically a substrate for putting yumminess in, rather like a pita but far more crispy and delicious.
They should be eaten hot, and they are often served as the bread with
meals and always, always with honey. I always thought they'd be the
ideal fast food, easier to stuff than burritos, faster to make than
burgers.
Honestly, I applaud the audacity of the menu. Everything on it sounds delicious, even the absurd Santa Fe Green Chile Mac sopapilla. But if you're going to serve stuffed sopapillas, wouldn't you offer at least one traditional stuffy? Where are the refried beans, chorizo, carnitas? Where's the red chile? The closest you can get to actual traditional sopapillas is the Original, and powdered sugar isn't actually traditional in New Mexico.
For comparison, Tomasita's in Santa Fe, my personal favorite New Mexican restaurant ever, has won the Best Stuffed Sopapilla competition for several years running. "Served with cheese, and your choice of red or green chile. Choose Roast
beef, Ground beef, Combination (Ground beef & refries), Bean,
Chicken or Vegetable." My family tends to order stuffed sopapillas in bulk from El Modelo in Albuquerque. Sadie's in Albuquerque offers pizza-sized stuffed sopapillas. My personal favorite sopapilla is stuffed with carne adovada, which absolutely must have red chile. I would pay serious money for some truly authentic carne adovada.
So I challenge you, Papi's. Keep making all your funky alternative sopapillas, but for New Mexicans longing for a taste of home, please offer the sort of sopapilla you'd actually find in Santa Fe.
