30 Before 30: Flautas con Chorizo (#23)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love the meat counter at New Seasons. They make some of the best chorizo I have ever had. I love that it varies in spiciness, but is always very, very good. This is a simple recipe, made simpler by using amazing, flexible tortillas. It cuts down on the amount of oil you need to use and makes everything go faster. I simply pop the tortillas in a warm oven while I get everything else ready for whatever dish. For this one in particular, it was easy to time.

Flautas con Chorizo via 1,000 Mexican Recipes:

Makes 6 flautas

2 tsp. vegetable oil, plus more for frying tortillas

2 Tb. finely chopped onion

¼ lb. fresh bulk chorizo (chicken is a good substitute if you're not into pork)

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

6 (6-7-inch) corn tortillas

1 c. very finely shredded cabbage (or lettuce)

1 avocado, thinly sliced

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

½ c. sour cream

In a medium skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of oil and cook the onion, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chorizo, breaking it into small pieces, until completely cooked, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato and set the pan aside off heat.

In a large skillet, heat about ¼-inch of oil until it shimmers. Dip the tortillas in the hot oil, 1 at a time, until soft and limp, about 3 seconds. Drain on paper towels. If you have nice, thick, flexible tortillas, you can skip this step.

Lay 1 tortillas on a working surface and put about 2 tablespoons of the chorizo filling across the lower third of the tortillas. Roll tightly and secure with a toothpick. Lay seam side down on a plate and repeat with all of the tortillas. Add extra oil to the skillet and heat until hot. Fry the flautas 2 or 3 at a time until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels and remove toothpicks.

Make a bed of shredded cabbage (or lettuce) on a plate. Lay the warm flautas on top. Arrange the sliced avocado around the flautas and sprinkle them with lime juice. Drizzle sour cream over the flautas. Serve at once.

These are fast, easy, and make for a super tasty dinner, especially when paired with rice and a vegetable, like the next post.

Recipes Complete: 23

Recipes to Go: 7 

Potato Tacos with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa

Apparently I like tomatillos and recipes that are really easy. Want something mid-week and fast and maybe a little different? Try this. Make mashed potatoes. Fry it up in some tortillas. Make some salsa. Bam bam bam – dinner.

Potato Tacos with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa via Serious Eats:

Serves 4 (or 2 mega hungry people)

2 avocados

4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered

1 large garlic clove, quartered

1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

½ c. cilantro leaves, chopped

½ tsp. salt

1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, chopped into ½-inch pieces

4 oz. queso fresco, divided, crumbled

Salt and black pepper

12 corn tortillas

¼ c. vegetable oil

½ c. Mexican crema, or sour cream

1½ c. iceberg lettuce, shredded (or better lettuce because yeah)

For the avocado salsa, cut avocados in half lengthwise, and remove large seeds. Scoop out flesh and place in blender along with tomatillos, garlic, chiles, cilantro, ¼ cup water, and salt. Process until it is a coarse puree. Set aside. The avocado sauce won’t turn brown because of the tomatillos. You can also eat a bunch of it while you're working on other stuff.

To make the potato tacos, bring large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander. Mash the potato in large bowl, or pass through potato ricer. Mix in half of the queso fresco. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon two tablespoons of potato mixture into each tortilla. Fold each over, and secure each with one tooth pick, weaving in and out to keep each in a “U” shape.

Pour oil into large 10-inch cast iron pan set over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add enough tacos as will fit in a single layer, probably three. Cook until crisp and golden on each side, about 30 seconds for each, flipping with pair of tongs. When done, remove tacos, draining as much oil as you can. Place on paper towels and repeat process until all tacos are cooked.

Serve tacos with salsa, crema, and lettuce.

So good. So fast. Did I mention how good they are?

Guacamole

Okay, so there are a million guacamole recipes out there. This one isn’t anything really new, but I just had so much fun making this with my mortar and pestle (the traditional way), that I had to share. Whenever I make guac, I use some of it on whatever else I’ve made, but mostly I eat it with chips. This batch was no different.

Guacamole:

1 ripe Haas avocado

2 garlic cloves, minced

Lime juice, to taste

Salt, to taste

Smoked sea salt, to taste

Mash your avocado with your mortar and pestle until very creamy. Mix in lime juice until tangy and a bit of salt. Finish with smoked sea salt.

I think the smoked sea salt adds a new, interesting flavor. Getting a perfect avocado makes all the difference as you want it to be super creamy. Try it out. I got my smoked sea salt at Trader Joe’s.