Chilorio Gorditas Recipes

Steps:

• Put the pork, onion and 1 tablespoon salt in a large Dutch oven or stockpot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the meat is tender and falling apart when pierced with a fork, 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on your cut of meat. Transfer the meat to a bowl and reserve 2 cups of the cooking broth. Discard the remaining broth and onions, rinse the pot and return it to the stove.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the chiles and enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, pressing on the chiles to submerge them. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand until the chiles are fully softened and pulpy, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chiles to a blender; discard the soaking water. Add the tomato, vinegar, oregano, cumin, garlic and 2 cups reserved broth. Puree until completely smooth.
• Return the cooked pork to the reserved pot and pour the salsa over the meat. Mix until the meat is completely covered. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often to encourage the meat to fall apart into shreds, until the sauce thickens and the meat absorbs most of the sauce, about 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
• Serve the chilorio with flour tortillas or breakfast potatoes for a hearty brunch.

Steps:

• Fry beef and onion together.
• Season with salt, pepper, garlic salt and chile powder.
• While meat is cooking, mix with hands all ingredients for shells.
• Pinch off small portion of dough and roll into 2-inch ball.
• With quick patting motion, flatten out to 1/2 inch thickness and about 3 inches in diameter.
• Fry in hot grease until golden brown, turning once. Drain.
• Make a slit through the middle; open slightly like a taco shell and stuff with meat mixture, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese.

Steps:

• To make the chicharrón prensado, toast the chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, for about 2 minutes; they should be richly aromatic but not burned. Put in a blender with the garlic, onion, and 2 cups water, and blend until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
• In a large pot combine the carnitas with pork skin and the salsa over low heat. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the salsa is reduced enough to thickly coat the meat. You shouldn't need to add any salt here, as the carnitas should be well seasoned.
• Place all the ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth (some people prefer a coarse purée). Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, using a spoon to mash the avocados into the other ingredients. It's up to you how much to mash-I like mine pretty lumpy!
• To make the gordas, knead the masa with the lard or oil until it's fully incorporated (it's impossible to overwork masa since there's no gluten, and in fact it only improves in quality the more you work it). Separate the masa into 8 equal portions and roll into balls. Place a ball between two sheets of plastic (cut from a plastic bag) and flatten to create a ½-inch-thick tortilla shape with a tortilla press or with this cookbook. Repeat for all the balls.
• Heat a griddle or large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add as many gordas as will comfortably fit in the skillet. Cook for about 20 minutes, flipping every 3 minutes or so. They should get golden brown on the outside, with some charred specks; reduce the heat if they brown too quickly. They're done when the inside is soft and fluffy, and the outside crisp and crunchy. (Gordas are best straight from the griddle, but can be kept in a 250ºF oven until ready to serve, if necessary.)
• Slice open the gordas three-fourths of the way around, then fill each pocket with about 2 tablespoons of the chicharrón prensado, then queso, onion, cilantro, salsa, guacamole, and lime to taste.

Steps:

• Filling (chilorio): cook pork with water and salt, 1 1/2 hours or until tender.
• Cool and shred.
• In blender or food processor make salsa with chiles, oregano, cumin, parsley and garlic.
• Add to meat and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens.
• Gorditas: Prepare masa as indicated on package; mix with pinch of salt.
• Form masa into gorditas (1/2" thick tortillas).
• Cook in comal or skillet until lightly golden.
• Slice each gordita into halves without separating them.
• Spread with beans and fill with chilorio and diced onion.
• Serve warm and enjoy!