Thick corn cakes with chorizo (Sopes)

1. Knead the masa harina with the salt and enough lukewarm water to make a soft, non-sticky dough; divide into 12 balls.

2. Press the balls between two sheets of plastic into discs about 8 cm across and 1 cm thick and cook them in a hot, dry pan for 2 minutes per side.

3. While still hot, with wet fingers, pinch up the edges all round to form a small rim – careful, they're hot!

4. Meanwhile, mash the cooked black beans with a fork and fry briefly in a little oil; squeeze the chorizo out of its casing and fry in a dry pan for 5-6 minutes.

5. Fry the sopes rim side up in a little oil for 1-2 minutes until crisp, then spread with beans and top with the chorizo.

6. Serve with thinly sliced lettuce, sour cream and crumbled queso fresco. If you can't find queso fresco, a mix of feta and ricotta is a good substitute.

Tip: You can only shape the rim while they're hot – once cooled, the dough cracks; if so, warm them again for a minute.