Gorditas de Picadillo

Hola amigos! How are you these days? I am fine, just a little busy with my family and work, that is why I haven’t been posting many recipes anymore, but today I have this delicious recipe for mince beef gorditas.

Gorditas are these little maize masa parcels that you can fill with almost anything you want. They are easy to make and delicious.

I am filling mine with Picadillo, which is mince beef with chopped potatoes and lots of vegetables.

Ingredients

For the Picadillo

• 500 gr mince beef
• 2 tomatoes finely chopped
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1/2 green pepper finely chopped
• 2 potatoes peeled and cut in small cubes
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 cup pitted green olives cut in halves
• Pinch of dried oregano
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 2 cleaned, deseeded & stem off guajillo chillies (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Pinch of pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup of water

For the refried beans

• 2 cups of cooked black beans or 1 unsalted black beans tin
• 1/4 chopped onion
• 1 minced garlic clove
• Salt to taste

For the gorditas

• 3 cups of maseca or Mexican maize flour
• Pinch of salt
• Lukewarm water

To garnish

• 1 cup of shredded iceberg lettuce
• Spicy salsa of your choice
• 1 cup feta cheese crumbled

Method

How to make the Picadillo

1. Heat the oil in medium heat in a large saucepan or a casserole dish. Once hot, fry the onion and garlic for 2 min, then add the mince beef and cook for 5 min making sure to stir continuously, so the beef doesn’t cook in big chunks. Add salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano. Then add the water.
2. Once the beef is almost cooked, add the rest of the vegetables, except the guajillo chillies and put the saucepan lid on, lower the heat and let cook for 10 min. Mixing from time to time to help the picadillo to cook throughly.
3. While the picadillo is cooking, put the guajillo chillies in hot boiling water for 10 min. Once soft, put them in a blender with a bit of the water. Blend well until getting a sauce. Add the sauce to the picadillo. Cook for 10 more min or until the vegetables are cooked and set aside.

How to make refried beans

1. Heat the oil at medium heat in a saucepan. Then add the onion and garlic and fry for two min.
2. Then add the beans (get rid off of some of the water that they come in)
3. Season with salt and once they start boiling, mash them with a potato masher until smooth, leaving some texture. Set aside.

How to make the gorditas

1. Pour the maize flour in a large bowl and add the salt, then little by little start adding the lukewarm water and mix at the same time with one hand, until all the flour comes together to form a dough.
2. There is no need to work the dough. The flour is gluten free, so once the dough is form, make sure it is moist enough that it doesn’t stick on your hands, but not too moist, otherwise it will be very sticky.
3. Once the dough is ready, make little dough ball the size of a golf ball. Put a large frying pan or a comal (flat griddle) to heat at medium heat. Once hot, make the gorditas, flatten each dough ball individually with your hands, making a thin patty (see pic). Put them to cook on the frying pan (there is no need to use oil). 2 min on each side approximately.
4. While you are cooking some, you can wrap in a clean kitchen tablecloth the ones that are ready, to keep them hot.
5. When they are all ready. With a sharp knife, make an incision on each one, making like little pockets.

To serve the gorditas

1. Open a gordita and spread some refried beans. Then fill them with some picadillo.
2. Add lettuce, sour cream, feta cheese and spicy salsa and enjoy!

Listo!

Provecho!