Gorditas Con Carne

Total Time: 3 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 50 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 1 1/4 lbs boneless beef chuck steaks, cut into 4 pieces
• 3 small onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus oil to a depth of 1/2 inch for frying
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes with juice, drained and chopped
• 1 -2 jalapeno, stemmed,seeded and very finely chopped
• salt
• 1 lb fresh smooth-ground corn masa harina flour, for tortillas (2 cups, or 1 3/4 cups powdered masa harina mixed with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup grated monterey jack cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
• 1/3 cup sour cream

Recipe

• 1 in a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the meat with 2 quarts salted water, about 1/3 of the onions, and half of the garlic and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• 2 strain, reserving the broth for another use.
• 3 when the meat is cool enough to handle, shred it into coarse strands with your fingers or 2 forks, don't worry that there are bits of onion and garlic mixed with the meat.
• 4 wash and dry the saucepan, set it over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil.
• 5 when the oil is hot, add half of the remaining onions and cook until golden, about 6 minutes, then stir in the remaining garlic and cook for another minute.
• 6 add the tomatoes and chiles and cook until most of the juice has evaporated, about 3 minutes.
• 7 stir in the shredded meat and simmer for a few more minutes, then taste and season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• 8 remove from the heat and set aside.
• 9 heat a well-seasoned or nonstick griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat.
• 10 knead the masa (fresh or reconstituted) to make it pliable, adding a little water if necessary to achieve a soft-cookie-dough consistency.
• 11 knead in the flour, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
• 12 divide the dough into 10 portions and roll into balls; cover with plastic to keep from drying out.
• 13 line a tortilla press with 2 pieces of plastic cut to fit the plates (to be on the safe side, cut them from a food storage bag; the thicker plastic usually works better for beginners).
• 14 gently press out a ball of dough between the sheets of plastic to about 4 inches in diameter (it'll be about 1/4 inch thick).
• 15 you've now made a gordita, which is what you call a fat tortilla.
• 16 peel off the top sheet of plastic, flip the gordita, uncovered side down, onto the fingers of 1 hand, and gently peel off the second piece of plastic.
• 17 in one flowing movement, roll the gordita off your hand and onto the heated griddle or skillet.
• 18 bake for about 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and bake for another 1 1/2 minutes on the other side.
• 19 the gordita will be lightly browned and crusty on the top and bottom, but still a little uncooked on the sides.
• 20 remove to a plate.
• 21 continue pressing and griddle-baking the remaining gorditas in the same manner.
• 22 when you're ready to serve, warm the shredded beef.
• 23 rinse the remaining onions in a small strainer under cold water and shake to remove the excess moisture.
• 24 have the cheese and cilantro at the ready.
• 25 in a deep heavy medium skillet or saucepan, heat 1/2-inch of oil over medium to medium-high until the oil is hot enough to make the edge of a gordita sizzle sharply, about 350 degrees f on a deep-fry thermometer.
• 26 one by one, fry the gorditas, turning them after they've been in the oil for about 15 seconds, until they're nicely crisp but not hard, about 45 seconds total.
• 27 when they're ready, most will have puffed up a little, like pita bread.
• 28 drain on paper towels.
• 29 once they all are fried, use a small knife to cut a slit in the thin edge of each one about halfway around its circumference, opening a pocket.
• 30 as you cut them, fill each gordita with about 1/4-cup shredded meat and a sprinkling of the onions, grated cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.