Would you believe this is my 4th attempt at perfecting Gorditas? This time around I’m taking a three-prong approach. New Recipe. New Method. New Filling. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Yeah, you guessed it – so much for fingers crossed. The flavor was spot on. The consistancy felt right. Just no puff. And without the puff, there’s simply no shell. Still, I’m willing to share with you my step-by-step failure. Maybe someone out there can see my mistakes. One thing I will tell you is that the meat filling was amazing. Not only great for tacos (which is where I punted when the Gorditas failed) but for wet burritos or beefy enchiladas. I’d put money on it that if you were to throw in a couple of cans of Kidney Beans at the end, you’d have the most amazing chili. So something positive came from my failure. Thank you Lord for the gift of finding the good in every situation. Failure is just a form of learning. And as frustrating as that sounds, I do love to learn. I’d rather suceed, but that’s okay so long as I learned something in the process.
Beef Gorditas – Round 4
Beef Filling
2 lbs Stew or Taco Meat
3/4 cup Spicy Red Enchilada Sauce
1 (4 oz) can Hot Diced Jalapeño Peppers
2 Beef Bouillon Cubes
Spray inside of crock pot with non-stick spray. Add in the chopped meat, enchilada sauce, and diced Jalapeños. Crush the bullion cubes, sprinkle over the top. Stir to mix. Cover with lid and cook on HIGH setting for 2 hours. Reduce to LOW setting, continue to cook another 4 hours.
Gordita Shells
2 cups Masa Harina
1-1/2 teaspoons Salt
1-1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1-3/4 cups Water, approximately
1-1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 cup Lard or Oil for frying
Whisk together the Masa Harina, salt and baking powder. Make sure the baking powder has been evenly distributed throughout the flour. Set aside.
Warm the water to just a little above room temperature. Add no more than half of the warm water to the Masa mixture to start. With clean hands, work the water into the flour. If necessary, add more water a little at a time until the dough is shaggy and uneven.
Drizzle olive oil into the mixture. Continue to gently work the dough, adding more water at necessary until a soft dough forms.
Test the dough: Press a small piece of dough into a circle. If the edges crack, a little more water is needed. If the edges are smooth, it’s perfect. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
Line a work surface with waxed paper or plastic wrap; sprinkle lightly with water to barely dampan the workspace. With dampened hands, form the dough into a ball, flatten slightly. Cut into 6 equal pieces. Working with one ball at a time, flatten balls into a 4 or 5-inch disc (about until about 1/4-inch thick). Transfer discs to a waxed paper- or plastic wrap-lined baking sheet; keep covered with a damp cloth while working with remaining dough.
Note: If the edges of the disks begin to crack, moisten lightly with damp fingertips.
Working with one ball at a time, flatten balls on the wet surface into a 3 to 4-inch disc (about until about 1/4-inch thick). Transfer discs to a waxed paper- or plastic wrap-lined baking sheet; keep covered with plastic wrap while working with remaining dough.
Now it’s time to choose a cooking method. Gordita shells can be fried or a crispy exterior or cooked on a griddle or comal for a softer finish.
Frying: Heat a quarter cup of oil or lard in a skillet. Once hot but not yet smoking, the oil is ready. Carefully place one or two gordita shells into the skillet while not over-crowding. Fry shells for 2 or 3 minutes per side. The shells should puff up and become a beautiful golden-brown color. Once cooked, place on a paper-towel lined wire rack to drain and cool.
Griddle: Heat a tablespoon or two of oil or lard on a griddle over medium heat. Cook the gordita shells about 2 minutes per side, until brown spots appear and the shell has puffed up slightly. Cool on a paper-towel lined plate.
Once the shells are cool enough to handle, with a serrated knife carefully cut along one side to open up a pocket. Stop cutting about halfway around the shell. Gently lift to fill. Fill the shells with meat, leaving room for some of the finishing touches.
Finishing Touches
1/2 Yellow Onion
Cotija Cheese as desired
Hot Sauce or Salsa to taste
Peel and roughly dice half an onion, reserving the rest for another purpose. Once the Gorditas have been filled with meat, add some onion, cheese and sauce or salsa as desired.
Yeah, except one tiny thing – still could not get the shells to slice open with pockets to fill. And yet we had all that beautiful beef filling. There was only one thing to do – fry up some corn tortillas for tacos, pour a margarita and call it a day. Still managed to use the Gordita as a sort of side to the tacos, and it was tasty. Made refried beans to finish everything off nicely.
Thus says the LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
And a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
Or come to mind.
Isaiah 65:17
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