Gorditas de Picadillo
Two of my favorites, corn masa gorditas and picadillo with nopalitos!
Servings 6 Servings
Equipment
- large comal, griddle
- Blender
- Large skillet
Ingredients
Roasted Salsa
- 4 Medium to large Roma tomatoes
- 3-5 chile serrano
- 1 tbsp fresh chile piquin or dried it's optional if you like the salsa more spicy
- 1 small white onion
- 2-4 cloves of garlic
- cilantro, to taste
- Juice of 1 large lime
- Salt, to taste
Picadillo
- 1 lb fresh nopales(cactus), diced
- Avocado oil
- 1 c Onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground chuck or sirloin
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 c roasted salsa, see recipe above
Gorditas
- 2 c yellow or white corn Masa Harina
- 3 tbsps all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsps pork lard or avocado oil then more for frying
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
Garnishes
- Red or green salsa
- queso fresco, crumbled
- Mexican crema
- Lettuce or cabbage, shredded
- avocado slices
- thin sliced onion
Instructions
Roasted Salsa
- Place the tomatoes, serranos, onion and garlic on a preheated griddle that is lined with foil paper. This is for easy clean up, but you can omit it if you prefer.
- Drizzle on 1 tsps of avocado oil, then turn ingredients so they are lightly coated. This will help the ingredients roast quicker. Turn ingredients as needed for the next 20 minutes. Remove the garlic after 15 minutes and reserve. When ready, transfer roasted ingredients to the blender, make sure to remove husks from the garlic. Add the cilantro, lime juice and salt. Pulse to blend for a coarse salsa.
Picadillo Con Nopales
- In a large skillet, preheat 2 tbsps. of oil at medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the diced nopales. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Saute for another 5 minutes or until the nopales have released all of their water.
- When ready, move the nopales to one side of the skillet. Add the beef. Season with 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper. Keep the beef on one side until nicely browned. Stir as needed. When ready, combine the beef and nopales. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Pour in the salsa. Stir well to combine and simmer for 10 minutes. The picadillo recipe is good for 12 or more gorditas!
Gorditas
- In a large bowl, combine the masa harina, ap flour and salt. Mix in the pork lard or oil. Gradually mix in the hot water. The water amount may be a little more or a little less. the masa will let you know as you knead it. When ready, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, you will divide the masa into 6 equal portions. Roll into balls and keep covered with a damp paper towel. At this point you want to preheat your griddle/comal for several minutes at medium heat.
- In a small bowl, add some water. Keep it near your workspace where you will be cooking the gorditas. Wet the palms of your hands and form the gordita by moving and slightly flattening the masa ball with the palms of your hands. Once it flattens, rotate it gently smoothing out the edges as needed. These gorditas are about 4 1/2-5 inches in diameter.
- Place gorditas on preheated surface. Let them cook for at least 3 minutes before attempting to flip over. You should see some browning. If it too light, let it cook another minute or so. If the spots are too dark, turn the heat down slightly. When ready, flip the gorditas and cook for another 3 minutes. At some point you should see the gorditas inflate slightly. That is a good indicator that they are ready.
- Keep cooked gorditas in a tortilla warmer. If you prefer a deep fried gordita that will inflate even more, transfer comal cooked gorditas directly to preheated oil in a skillet. Fry for just 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Gorditas must be sliced open while they are warm to create that pocket. If they get too cold the masa will stick together. Fill refried beans or your favorite guisado and serve right away. Top with your favorite garnishes.