Gorditas – masa cakes stuffed with chicharrón and green salsa

Ingredients for 4 portions

• 400 gMasa harina
• ≈ 550 mlWater, warm
• to tasteSalt
• 250 gPork rinds, pressed (chicharrón prensado)
• 400 gTomatillo, husked
• 2Serrano chiles
• 1 cloveGarlic
• ½Yellow onion, for the salsa
• 20 gCoriander
• ½Yellow onion, finely chopped
• 120 gQueso fresco, crumbled
• 2 tbspRapeseed oil, for frying

Method

1. Mix the masa harina with the warm water and some salt. Knead for 3 minutes into a soft dough that neither sticks to your hands nor cracks at the edges, and cover with a damp tea towel.
2. Leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, put the tomatillos and chillies in a pan, cover with water and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the tomatillos turn olive green.
4. Finely chop the half onion and half the coriander, and crumble the cheese.
5. Drain the tomatillos and chillies and blend them with the garlic, the piece of onion, the rest of the coriander and some salt to make a green salsa. Pour into a bowl.
6. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Press a hollow into each with your thumb, fill it with a tablespoon of chicharrón, pinch the dough closed over the filling and flatten it with your hands, or in a tortilla press lined with plastic, into a cake about 10 cm across and 1 cm thick.
7. Cook the gorditas in batches on a griddle or in a dry, heavy frying pan over a medium heat, 4 minutes a side, until speckled golden and slightly puffed. Brush with a little oil and cook for 1 more minute a side.
8. Slit each gordita open along one edge with a knife to make a pocket, and fill it with green salsa, onion, coriander and cheese. Serve three per person.

More recipes

• Pozole rojo – red hominy and pork soup2 h
• Chicharrón en salsa verde – pork crackling in green salsa35 min · ≈ $48/port.
• Carne de puerco en salsa verde – pork in green tomatillo sauce1 h 25 · ≈ $48/port.
• Tortas – Mexican ham, cheese and avocado rolls25 min · ≈ $44/port.