gordita

Gordita ("little fattie" in Spanish) is a small thick corn tortilla, cut in half and garnished with various fillings.

Gordita

masa harina ((nixtamalized maize flour))

salt

margarine ((melted),

water ((or more))

tomatoes (, peeled,

onion (, chopped)

red bell peppers (, finely chopped)

cilantro

olive oil

lime

⅔ lb ground beef

garlic (, chopped)

chilli powder

black pepper

thyme

green bell pepper (,

lettuce

chorizo

Tortilla press

Mix the maize flour and salt.

Add the margarine (or lard).

Add the water gradually while mixing and kneading until a soft and homogeneous dough is formed.

Divide the dough into 12 or 14 balls and cover them. Let stand 15 minutes.

Using a tortilla press, rolling pin or by hand, press each ball between two sheets of parchment paper (or plastic wrap) to form a circle about 5 inch (12 cm) diameter and ¼ inch (5mm) thick.

To bake the gorditas, put each of them on a preheated comal (hot griddle or a pan) coated with oil.

Bake each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned and fully baked inside.

Once all the gorditas are baked, take each of them and cut them on one side with a knife soaked in water each time. Only half of the tortilla should be cut to fit inside, like a pita sandwich.

Preheat the oven to 250 F / 120 C.

Line a baking dish with parchment paper. Place the gorditas on the dish and cover them.

Place the dish in the oven, halfway up, to keep them warm.

Dough

In a bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly and set aside in the refrigerator.

Sauce

In a skillet, heat the olive oil on low heat, and sauté the onion and green pepper for 10 minutes.

Add the ground beef, sprinkle with thyme, garlic and cook for another 10 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring regularly.

Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Garnish

Heat the sauce slightly.

Stuff each tortilla with the garnish, sauce, salad, cilantro and chorizo.

To serve

Traditional Mexican gorditas made with corn tortilla dough (masa) pressed into a chubby round, browned on a hot cast-iron skillet, then fried and stuffed with delicious Hatch chile meat.

Easy Gorditas Recipe

beef

cumin

garlic powder

onion powder

pepper

chicken broth

Hatch green chile sauce

Hatch red chile sauce

queso fresco

onion

cotija cheese, crumbled

mashed potatoes (I use instant mashed potatoes to save time)

vegetable oil

Make the filling first

Place ground beef in a skillet set over medium high heat. Stir in the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, while breaking up any large clumps of meat. Let the beef cook without stirring for approximately 3-5 minutes to form a deep brown crust on the bottom. Pour in 1/4 cup chicken broth, reserving the rest. Stir, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom, and continue to cook and stir often until no pink spots remain. Remove from heat and divide into two small mixing bowls. Stir green chile sauce into one bowl and red chile sauce into the other. Cover and keep warm.

For the Gorditas

Place the masa harina, cotija cheese, and mashed potatoes into a large mixing bowl. With clean hands, gently stir ingredients together with your fingers for a few seconds to loosely combine.

Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and work it into the dough by hand for about a few seconds. Repeat with another 1/2 cup broth. Finally, add an additional splash of broth and work the dough by hand until it forms a firm dough ball. You are aiming for the consistency of soft play-dough. (At this point if the dough is sticking to clean hands, knead in a spoonful or two more of masa harina; if it is cracking a lot around the edges when worked then knead in a splash more broth.) When the dough is smooth and does not stick to clean hands, knead and fold the dough ball for an additional 5 minutes longer.

Set a large cast iron skillet or a comal over medium-high heat. Lay out a piece of parchment paper next to the skillet. Remove a portion of dough approximately 3 ounces in weight, or about the size of a large lemon, and roll into a ball. Place a ball between two pieces of parchment paper and press with the bottom of a frying pan, plate, or large measuring cup to create a disk about 1/3 inch thick. (Alternatively, shape into a flattened disk by hand, slowing working and turning the dough with your fingers and pressing against the palm of your hand. Smooth out any cracks along the edges of your dough disks. Place on the parchment paper and repeat until no more dough remains.

Place gorditas onto the hot cast iron skillet and cook each side until spotty-golden brown and dry. In a separate medium-size skillet set over medium heat, add vegetable oil to a depth of approximately 1 and 1/2 inches.

When the oil reaches 350 degrees F,  place spotty-browned gorditas gently down into hot oil and fry for approximately 20 seconds on each side, or until they puff slightly, float to the top and turn golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider strainer and set onto a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining gorditas. 

While the gorditas are still warm, insert a sharp knife into the edge and genty slice 2/3 of the way down towards the center, working the knife along the edge of the gordita and through the center until you can open the gordita by simply squeezing the sides. Do NOT cut all the way through dividing it into two pieces. The goal is to create a &#8216;pocket&#8217; in the gordita to hold the filling.

Next fill the gorditas with the prepared meat filling and a spoonful of queso fresco cheese (reheating the meat if necessary), then stuff/top with your choice of additional toppings listed above and serve while warm. Gorditas should be eaten by hand.

Tried this for the first time ever! First two didn't turn out too well. I think I made them to 'chubby' I thinned the next ones they puffed up and were easy to cut and full. I'm pretty proud of myself! This was so easy!! Yum! You're never too old to learn a new recipe. :)

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Gordita

Easy Gorditas Recipe

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