Gorditas & salsa

Gorditas & salsa

Ingredients
For the gorditas
500 g fine cornmeal or masa harina
½ level teaspoon sea salt
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
700 ml hot water
plain flour, for dusting
olive oil
For the salsa
1 red apple, halved and cored
3 large ripe tomatoes, quartered and deseeded
2 spring onions, trimmed
1 red chilli, deseeded
1 small bunch fresh coriander
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 lime
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
To serve
200 g Don Francisco Mexican cheese, or feta
1 fresh red chilli, very finely sliced, optional
1 lime , cut into wedges
Method :-
Gordita means 'little fat girl' in Spanish and is meant as a sort of cute, cuddly term
of endearment. It's also the name for these sweet little puffy tortillas, which are
often made around Easter and other special occasions. Look at the gorditas as a
tasty spoon for carrying all kinds of big exciting flavours. Mexicans put all sorts of
things, from beans, to meat, to salsa, on them. I've gone for quite a delicious and
delicate apple salsa here – give it a try.
Put the cornmeal and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Mix the
baking powder into the hot water and pour this into the well. Using a fork, mix the
cornmeal into the liquid, and when it starts to come together use your hands to
knead it. Divide the dough into 16 equal squash-ball-sized pieces and dust them
lightly with flour. Roll each piece around in your hands, then pat and flatten into a
small round roughly the size of the base of a wine glass. Put these on an oiled
tray, dust with flour and put aside while you make your salsa.
Finely chop your apple, tomatoes and spring onions, and finely slice your chilli.
Put them all into a bowl. Pick the leaves from your coriander and put them into a
bowl of water until you're ready to serve. Chop the coriander stalks up nice and
finely and add to the bowl with the other salsa ingredients. Put a large pan on a
medium heat and add your pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Toss them around for a
few minutes and toast them. Add them to your salsa with the juice of your lime, a
good lug of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well, then have a taste
and add a little more seasoning, lime juice or chilli if you think it needs more
attitude. Put the pan back on a medium heat and add a couple of good lugs of
olive oil. Cook as many gorditas as will comfortably fit into the pan for about 2 to
3 minutes on each side, or until they're golden and puff up a little.
Serve the gorditas warm out of the pan with a tablespoon of your beautiful salsa,
a little hunk of cheese, a couple of your drained coriander leaves and a few slices
of chilli, if you fancy, and with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over.