El Restaurante Mexicano
Winter 2002
Reprinted from The El Paso Chile Company's "Tortillas" by W. Park Kerr, with permission from William Morrow and Company, Inc. Photo copyright 1996 by Ellen Silverman.
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STREET FOODS OF MEXICO Pork and Green Chile Flautas Makes 4 to 6 servings The Flautas | |||
| 12 | 6-inch corn tortillas | ||
| 4 | c. Pork Deshebrada | ||
| 6 | long green chiles, roasted, peeled and cut into julienned strips | ||
| Salt | |||
| About 2 | c. corn oil | ||
| 4 | c. romaine lettuce, finely shredded | ||
| Crema or guacamole | |||
| Hot green or red salsa | |||
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Lay a corn tortilla on the work surface. Arrange about 1/3 cup of the shredded pork and about 1/12 of the julienned chiles across the lower third of the tortilla. Season with a pinch of salt and roll the tortilla into a tube about 1 inch in diameter. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the
remaining ingredients, producing
12 flautas. In a large, deep skillet, warm about 1/2 inch of corn oil over medium heat. Add the flautas, working in batches if necessary, and fry them, turning once, until they are almost (but not quite) crisp, about 2 minutes per side. With tongs, transfer the flautas to paper towels, propping them against something (an inverted cake tin is ideal) to drain them thoroughly. Layer shredded romaine on 4 to 6 plates. Arrange 2 or 3 flautas on top. Serve immediately, with crema or guacamole and salsa for dipping.
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Pork Deshebrada (Shredded Braised Pork) Makes about 8 cups Use in flautas or in tacos, burritos, chimichangas or tortilla casseroles. | |||
| 1 | bone-in pork shoulder roast (5 to 6 lbs.) | ||
| 1 | large onion, peeled and sliced | ||
| 3 | garlic cloves, peeled and chopped | ||
| 2 | t. dried oregano, crumbled | ||
| 2 | t. ground cumin, preferably from toasted seeds | ||
| 2 | t. salt | ||
| 1 | c. homemade or frozen and thawed red chile puree (optional) | ||
| 4 | c. lightly salted chicken broth | ||
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Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Lay the pork shoulder fat side up in a heavy 6- to 8-quart flame-proof Dutch oven. Scatter the onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt over the pork. Add the chile puree, if using, and the chicken broth. Add water to bring the level of liquid halfway up the roast. Cover the Dutch oven, set it over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Put the roast in the oven and bake, turning it at the estimated halfway point, until the meat is tender, about 4 hours. Cool pork to room temperature in braising liquid. Transfer to a cutting board, trim away fat, and remove bone. Using the tines of 2 forks, one held in each hand, shred the meat in a downward pulling motion. Strain and degrease broth. (The meat can be used immediately, or it can be moistened with the broth and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Return to room temperature before using.)
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The Crema Makes about 2 cups | |||
| 2 | c. heavy cream, preferably not ultra-pasteurized | ||
| 3 | T. cultured buttermilk or plain yogurt | ||
| In a bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and buttermilk or yogurt. Loosely cover and let stand at room temperature for 12 hours; the mixture will thicken and become acidic. Cover and refrigerate until needed; the cream will thicken further and become more tart. It will keep for up to 10 days.
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