An Inspired Cook

As promised, I have another way to use the sauce that makes the best Al Pastor tacos.  Taquitos are something I grew up on and have loved all my life.  They are basically rolled tacos made with corn tortillas and filled with anything from ground beef to chicken to pork to steak; really you can fill them with anything that tastes good.  And the fun part is that they are the best finger food made for dipping.  Usually I dip them in guacamole or salsa but today I am going with green chile dip.  Pork is the traditional meat when making Al Pastor and I’m going to take a small pork roast and cook it low and slow until it will easily pull apart with 2 forks.  It may not be the traditional way of making Al Pastor pork but it’s just might just be the tastiest to roll up inside a tortilla yet.  There’s not much else to say, except you gotta try these!

Rule of thumb, 1 pound of meat will make a dozen taquitos.  I like to pick up pork roasts on sale and cut them into approximately 1 pound pieces which is a good amount for the two of us.  Most of the flavor will come from the sauce but I still want to sear the roast first with some spices.  I sprinkled some freshly ground ancho and NM red chile along with salt and pepper over the pork roast.

Heat some olive oil in a dutch oven.  When it gets hot, set the roast in to sear on both sides.

When the roast has been seared on both sides, add a cup of the sauce plus 1 cup of chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down low and place a lid on top.  Let the pork cook slow for approximately 3 hours or until the pork will easily pull apart with a fork.

After 3 hours it easily pulled apart and is absorbing all those flavors.

Remove the pork from the dutch oven with a slotted spoon, and discard the remaining liquids.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and drizzle olive oil in the pan .  Place a tortilla and drizzle some olive oil on top of the tortilla.  When it begins to sizzle, approx 30 seconds, turn it over to heat the other side.  Continue heating each tortilla until you have 12.

You will need the oil to absorb into the tortilla to crisp it in the oven, don’t blot the oil with a paper towel, just stack them in a tortilla warmer on top of each other.

Take 2 heaping spoons full of shredded pork and place in the center of the tortilla, roll it up and secure with a toothpick.

Place the taquitos on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Heat your oven to 350 degrees and bake taquitos 10 – 15 minutes, just until they are crisp on top.  Turn them over and continue to bake and additional 10 minutes.

Remove the toothpicks before you serve them.  Dip in green chile dip, or your choice of salsa or guacamole.

Taquitos Al Pastor with Green Chile Dip

1 pound Pork Roast, shoulder or butt roast works well
1/2 teaspoon NM Red Chile Flakes
1/2 teaspoon Ancho Chile Flakes
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 cup Al Pastor Sauce
1 cups Chicken Broth (I used Better than Bouillon)
12 Corn Tortillas
Chile de Arbol Salsa, optional
Guacamole, optional
Green Chile Dip, recipe follows

Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat.  Season pork roast with chile flakes, salt and pepper.  Drizzle olive oil in the dutch oven and sear the pork on both sides.  Add the Al Pastor Sauce and chicken broth to the dutch oven.  Bring the liquids to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and let simmer for approximately 3 hours or until the pork will easily pull apart with 2 forks.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork from the liquids and place in a medium bowl to cool.

Heat a small skillet with a drizzle of olive oil.  Pan fry the tortillas one at a time adding a drizzle of olive oil before adding each one.  Heat for just a few seconds on each side, just enough to make them pliable, and to absorb some of the oil.  Set aside but do not pat dry the tortillas.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Lay a tortilla flat and add approximately 2 heaping tablespoons of filling to the center of the tortilla, roll the tortilla around the filling and secure with a toothpick.  Place taquitos on prepared baking sheet and continue filling the remaining tortillas until all are filled.  Bake taquitos for 10 minutes or until they are crisp on top.  Turn them over to bake an additional 10 minutes.  Remove toothpicks before serving.  Serve hot with salsa, guacamole or green chile dip.

Makes 12 Taquitos

Green Chile Dip

1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Whipped Cream Cheese
1/2 -1 teaspoon Green Chile Powder
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Hatch Green Chile, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
Salt to taste

Combine the sour cream and whipped cream cheese together and mix until smooth.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir until all are mixed well.  Keep refrigerated.