2Tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil(or you preferred oil)
salt(to taste)
Serving options
Queso fresco
Mexican crema or sour cream
pico de gallo or guacamole
Instructions
Boil the tomato and chilies in a small saucepan with plenty of water until soft (about 10 minutes).
Remove from the hot water and place everything into a blender. Add garlic, pepper, cumin, oregano, and 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth.
Heat oil in a cooking pan or a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground meat and onion, then sauté until the meat is no longer pink.
Mix in potatoes, carrots, and peas, and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the tomato and chili sauce. Season with salt and bring the mixture to a boil.
Cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are nicely soft and the sauce has thickened and reduced by more than half.
Make the gorditas
Place masa harina and salt in a mixing bowl.
Add water and work the ingredients with your hands until you form a soft dough that doesn’t stick to your hands.
Heat a comal or griddle over medium heat.
Divide the Maseca dough into 10 portions and then slightly moisten your hands with water and take a portion of the dough to roll it into a ball.
Flatten the ball with the palm of your hands until you form a small thick patty.
Place on the hot skillet and cook for 1 minute, then flip it and cook for another minute or until you’ll see some dark spots appears.
Take the gordita with a kitchen towel and using a small knife, cut a slit in the side to create the pocket that will contain the picadillo stuffing.
Repeat the steps making batches of 2-3 gorditas at a time and keep them wrapped in a kitchen towel to keep them soft and warm.
Once done, carefully open them and stuff them with the picadillo mixture, then place them on the hot skillet for 1-2 minutes to warm them up again.
Serve immediately with a spoonful of cream and some crumbled queso fresco.
Notes
When making the dough, make sure to knead it well to achieve a texture similar to play dough. This will help prevent the gorditas from cracking or falling apart when you cook them.
To shape the gorditas, you can also use a tortilla press to flatten the dough into small disks. If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can use a heavy pan or dish to press the dough.
Make sure the griddle is not too hot that will burn the gorditas after a few seconds, or they will remain raw on the inside.
Cut the corn cakes when they’re still hot as they will harden as they cool down, becoming more difficult to make the pocket.