Sopapillas and Southwest Flight 812

For awhile I’ve been away,
I needed time from that fateful day.

A fitting post I needed to find,
Something to capture what’s in my mind.

The thoughts, at times, still catch me off guard,
I catch my breath, my body jarred.

At 34,000 feet in the air,
The top of my plane ripped a hole, a tear.

The sound alone made me pale,
Then no air, a forced exhale.

Masks dropped down, the plane took a dive,
I tried to stay conscious, hoped to survive.

Ears about to burst in my head,
Thoughts of my children a constant thread.

A bloody attendant unconscious on the ground,
A passenger helps, he also goes down.

Fight or flight no option for me,
I’m trapped, no control, how can this be?!

For fifteen minutes we flew this way,
This time in my mind on constant replay.

To the pilots, gratitude and respect,
For their composure and skill, for saving my neck.

So thankful I am to be here today,
To write these words, to live and play.

Read About Southwest Flight 812

I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for some time but I felt it was particularly appropriate since it is a “Southwest” favorite. I love the way the sopapillas puff up and I do like to “tear a hole” and drizzle in honey and sprinkle powdered sugar on the top. It was really the perfect post to mark the experience that I had.
This is a Williams Sonoma recipe. Don’t get deflated if all of the sopapillas don’t inflate. They still taste great.

SOPAPILLA RECIPE
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cups milk
2 T butter
Canola for frying
Confectioner’s sugar
Honey

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In a food processor, combine 2 cups of flour and the salt and pulse to mix. Add the yeast mixture, milk and butter and pulse to mix for about 20 seconds. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour and process just until the dough is moist and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If too sticky, add a bit more flour.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and coat in oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let stand in a warm, dark place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

In a deep saucepan over medium-high heat, pour in oil up to 3 inches and heat to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and another baking sheet with paper towels. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Using a small, sharp knife, cut out about 24 shapes (round, square, triangle). Place on the parchment paper.

Slip a few sopapillas into the hot oil and fry, using tongs to turn as needed, until lightly golden brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to towel-lined sheet to drain. Repeat until all are fried. Dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve immediately with honey on the side for drizzling.