Place the masa, salt, baking soda and flour in
prosessor bowl with metal blade. With the machine running, pour the
warm water through the feed tube until a ball of dough forms. The
ball should be neither wet nor dry and crumbly. Add a bit more masa
or water to obtain the right consistency. Place the dough in a plastic
bag and let rest 20 minutes.
Pinch off 6 rounds of dough about the size of a golf ball and use
your hands to flatten each to a 2 1/2-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick.
Keep unused portions of dough covered so it will not dry out. If there
is extra masa mixture, refrigerate for other uses.
Heat about 2 inches of oil in a deep saucepan to 365 degrees. Fry
the gorditas, spooning hot oil over the top to encourage puffing,
until golden brown. This should take less than a minute if oil is
at proper temperature. Drain on paper towels, then use a sharp knife
to split each in half horizontally. to assemble, place the thicker
portion of each gordita on a large cookie sheet. Fill each with 1/3
cup of filling, then put the tops on and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Bake 15 - 20 minutes. If desired, top with a sauce.
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