Tuesday, May 13, 2014
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Tostados Served on Fresh Fried Corn Tortillas with Pico de Gallo
Tostados Served on Fresh Fried Corn Tortillas with Pico de Gallo
I have been watching the reality show "Survivor" since it premiered in 2000 and have never missed an episode. I do not know, at this point, whether I continue to watch because I love to observe the interaction between the contestants, particularly when it is confrontational, or if it has simply become a habit. Whichever the case, it has become part of my Thursday night ritual to have Mexican food, or a derivative thereof. The actual new season of Survivor does not start until next Thursday, however, there was a special "look back at Survivors past" episode which aired last night. Ive come this far, why break with tradition now?
I admit that I usually use the packaged Ortega tostado shells which are heated in the oven just before eating, when I make tostados. While obviously not resembling anything authentically Mexican, they always worked perfectly fine for my purposes. However, I recently purchased some fresh corn tortillas, which are similar in appearance to the more common flour tortilla, but made of corn, and thought I would try fry a fresh corn tortilla for tostados. Wow, what a difference! I can not believe that I have subjected myself to the comparatively chewy, stale like taste and texture of the boxed hard tostados for all these years. The freshly fried tostados made from fresh corn tortillas were light and airy but incredibly sturdy and perfectly crunchy with an authentic corn flavor. It was not at all hard to do or (sometimes more importantly) not even messy!
I heated 1/2 inch of canola oil in a large skillet until the oil was hot but not smoking. I place the tip of the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil and you will know the oil is hot enough when it bubbles up around the tip of the spoon handle. Place 1 corn tortilla at a time in the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute per side or until it just starts to turn golden brown. Place on a paper towel, drain the excess oil and sprinkle with salt. Place the fried tortilla directly on the rack in a preheat 375 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Return to paper towels until ready to eat. This technique will create the most perfectly crispy, crunchy tortilla without a hint of greasiness or sogginess.
I had some very lovely plump tomatoes and hot chili peppers fresh from the grocery, so I decided to make a mid Winter pico de gallo. Finely chop a beautiful red ripe juicy tomato and combine in a bowl with finely chopped red onion, 1 finely chopped serrano chili pepper (or other pepper depending on your love of heat), a handful of chopped cilantro, the juice of half of a lime and plenty of salt. Stir to combine and serve freshly prepared.
Top the tostado shells with warmed refried beans, seasoned and browned ground beef, home made pico de gallo, freshly shredded crispy lettuce, queso fresco (Mexican crumbling cheese), hot sauce and sour cream.
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