Gorditas de Migajas Queretanas

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal for roasting tomatoes and chiles
• •Volcanic stone molcajete or blender used in short pulses
• •Tortilla press lined with plastic
• •Wide heavy skillet or shallow clay cazuela for frying
• •Cooling rack set over a sheet pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the salsa

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Set the tomatoes, serranos, garlic, and onion on it. Turn them until the tomato skins blister, the onion softens at the edges, and the garlic feels tender inside its peel. Toast the chile de árbol separately for 10 to 15 seconds per side, just until fragrant. It burns fast. Burned chile turns bitter and then you are punished for looking away.

   If one chile de árbol goes black, throw it out. Do not hide burned chile in salsa and hope nobody notices. They will notice.
2. 2

   Martajar the salsa

   Peel the garlic. In a molcajete, crush the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt until it becomes a paste. Add the toasted chile de árbol and serrano, then the onion and tomatoes. Crush until rough and juicy, not smooth. If you use a blender, pulse only a few times. This salsa should have pieces of tomato and chile. A market salsa is not baby food.

3. 3

   Cook the nopales

   Put the diced nopales, sliced onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the nopales release their sticky liquid and then cook it off, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add the epazote for the last 3 minutes. The nopales should be glossy, tender, and no longer weeping liquid. Pull out the epazote stem and set the nopales aside.

4. 4

   Season the masa

   Put the fresh masa in a bowl with the softened manteca de cerdo and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Knead with your hand, adding warm water a tablespoon at a time, until the masa feels soft, hydrated, and pliable. Press a little ball between your palms. If the edges crack wide, it needs more water. If it sticks like paste, knead in a little more masa. Cover with a damp towel and rest 15 minutes.

5. 5

   Crisp the migajas

   Melt 1 tablespoon manteca de cerdo in a skillet over medium heat. Add the carnitas migajas and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the dark pieces smell roasted and the fat glistens on the surface. They should sound dry against the pan, not soggy. Let them cool just enough to handle. This is the flavor of the cazo. Respect it.

6. 6

   Shape the pockets

   Divide the masa into 12 balls. Keep them covered. Take one ball, press a deep well in the center with your thumb, and spoon in about 1 1/2 tablespoons of migajas. Close the masa over the filling and pinch to seal. Press between plastic in a tortilla press, or pat by hand, into a gordita about 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. The filling should stay hidden. If migajas break through, patch with a little masa. Así se hace y punto.

7. 7

   Fry the gorditas

   Heat 1 1/2 cups manteca de cerdo in a wide heavy skillet over medium heat. The fat should be about 1/4 inch deep. Drop in a pea-sized piece of masa. It should bubble steadily and rise without turning dark right away. Fry 2 or 3 gorditas at a time, about 3 minutes per side, until they are golden in patches, firm at the edges, and cooked through. Do not crowd the pan. Crowding drops the temperature and the masa drinks fat instead of sealing.

   Oil will fry them, yes. Manteca de cerdo makes them taste like Querétaro. La manteca es el sabor. No me vengas con atajos.
8. 8

   Open and fill

   Drain the gorditas on a rack for 2 minutes. While they are still hot, hold each one with a clean towel and cut a slit along the side with a small knife. Open the pocket without tearing it apart. Spoon in nopalitos, crumble in queso fresco, and finish with salsa roja. Add lime at the table. Eat them while the edges are still crisp and the migajas taste of the cazo. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the carnitas vendor for migajas from the bottom of the cazo. At Mercado Escobedo, they know exactly what you mean. If they hand you lean chopped carnitas, say no. You need the dark, salty, crisp bits.
• •Fresh masa from a tortillería is the first choice. If you only have masa harina, use 2 1/2 cups masa harina with about 2 cups warm water, rest it 20 minutes, then knead in the lard and salt. It works, but it will not taste like the market. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Do not overfill the gorditas. Migajas are powerful: pork, salt, browned fat. Too much and the masa splits in the lard. A good gordita tastes balanced, not stuffed until it fails.
• •The salsa is chile de árbol and serrano, not a bottle from the refrigerator door. Toast the chiles, roast the tomatoes, crush them rough. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Keep purchased migajas refrigerated and use them within two days. Re-crisp them before filling so the fat wakes up and the pork tastes alive again.

Advance Preparation

• •The salsa roja can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before serving so the chile and tomato taste clear.
• •The nopalitos can be cooked up to two days ahead. Rewarm them gently in a skillet before filling the gorditas.
• •The masa can be seasoned up to two hours ahead and kept covered with a damp towel. Do not shape the gorditas too early or the edges will dry and split.
• •Fried gorditas are best eaten immediately. To reheat leftovers, use a dry comal over medium heat until the edges firm again. Do not use a microwave unless you enjoy disappointing yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 355g)