Tag: Mexican

Campechano Tacos

Campechano Tacos

Campechano Tacos

This might be the most ultimate taco ever. Carne asada, chorizo or longaniza sausage, and chicharron are the meats that make up tacos campechano. Yes. 3 meats in this taco. The tacos are topped with onions, cilantro, and morita salsa; with lime wedges on the side. This taco is a sign that life is good and not to take it for granted.
There are a couple options that you can use for the beef. Top sirloin, flank steak, or skirt steak are all tender enough cuts. Everyone knows what chorizo is, but most don’t know about Mexican-style longaniza; not to be confused with Filipino longanisa. Longaniza’s main flavors are from achiote paste and orange juice, giving it a citrusy flavor. Both sausages contain enough fat once rendered out to cook and flavor the steak. The last minute of cooking, serranos and chicharron are added to the campechano, giving it heat and another textured layer of porkiness.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Beef, Latin American, main course, Mexican, Pork
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 1 lb top sirloin, flank steak, or skirt steak cut into small cubes
  • 1 lb chorizo or longaniza sausage
  • 2 serrano peppers finely chopped
  • 1 cup chicharron crushed
  • salt and pepper to taste

Tacos

  • corn tortillas
  • white onion chopped
  • cilantro chopped
  • morita salsa

Instructions

  • Crumble the sausage into a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
    Mexican, main course, beef, pork
  • Brown the sausage for 6 minutes.
    Mexican, main course, beef, pork
  • Add in the beef. Continue sautéing for 3 minutes.
    Mexican, main course, beef, pork
  • Add in the chopped serranos and crumbled chicharron. Cook for 1 more minute.
    Mexican, main course, beef, pork
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    Mexican, main course, beef, pork
Mexican, main course, beef, pork
Top the tacos with onions, cilantro, and morita salsa.

Morita Chilies Salsa

Morita peppers are dried jalapeños that have been slightly smoked. They have the spiciness similar to a chipotle pepper. What’s different about this salsa is that the dried peppers and garlic are fried in olive oil then soaked in hot water for 10 minutes to further hydrate them. Then they are purred with the water they were soaked in and the oil they were fried in. This salsa reminds me of the canned chipotle abodo sauce that chipotle peppers are packed in, but less smokey in flavor.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 minutes
Course: condiment
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: condiment, Latin American, Mexican
Author: Alex Gorgos

Equipment

  • Blender or food processor

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 12 dried morita peppers
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup hot water
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat up olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Fry the morita peppers and garlic for 2-3 minutes. The peppers will puff up. That’s when you know that they’re done.
    Mexican, condiment
  • Scoop out the peppers and garlic and let them soak in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes.
    Mexican, condiment
  • Add the peppers, garlic, soaking water, and the oil they fried in to a blender. Purée until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
    Mexican, condiment
Mexican, condiment
Gorditas

Gorditas

Gorditas

Gorditas are a popular Mexican street food. Gorditas are a tortilla that is thicker than a normal. The name actually translates from Spanish to “small fatty”. The dough is similar to a regular tortilla, arepa, or huaraches; except it also contains butter. Instead of pressing to a thin tortilla, it is pressed to about 1/2” thick. They are then fried until they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are then sliced open, much like pita for a gyro, and stuffed with pretty much anything you want. The ones in the picture are stuffed with chicken, avocado, cheese, chipotle peppers, and mixed greens.
Stop eating Taco Bell.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time6 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Latin American, main course, Mexican, sandwich
Author: Alex Gorgos

Equipment

  • tortilla press

Ingredients

  • 1 cup masa harina flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp butter melted
  • 1 cup hot water plus more
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

  • Mix together all of the ingredients. Form into 2 dough balls.
    Mexican, main course, sandwich
  • Place a dough ball in between wax paper on a tortilla press.
    Mexican, main course, sandwich
  • Press down until it is just under 1/2” thick.
    Mexican, main course, sandwich
  • Heat up the cooking oil on a griddle over medium heat. Place the gorditas on the griddle.
    Mexican, main course, sandwich
  • Cook for 3-4 minutes a side.
    Mexican, main course, sandwich
  • Take a sharp knife and slice in half.
    Mexican, main course, sandwich
Mexican, main course, sandwich
Stuff with your favorite meats, cheese, and accompaniments.
Chunky Guacamole

Chunky Guacamole

Chunky Guacamole

This is my favorite guacamole recipe. You pretty much make a simple pico de gallo and toss it with diced avocado instead of mashing all of the ingredients together into a paste. The best thing is that it only takes 5 minutes to prepare. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
Prep Time5 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: appetizer, Latin American, Mexican, snack, vegan
Servings: 1
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 1 small tomato seeded and diced
  • 1/4 medium white onion finely chopped
  • 1 serrano pepper finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
  • 1 avocado diced
  • 1/2 lime juiced
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Mix together the white onion, tomato, serrano, and cilantro.
    Mexican, appetizer, vegan
  • Add in the avocado. Squeeze in the lime juice. Season with salt. Carefully toss, making sure to not mash the avocado.
    Mexican, appetizer, vegan
Mexican, appetizer, vegan
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.