A Recipe: Mexican Taquitos

There’s nothing quite as special as homemade Mexican taquitos.

Growing up, my sisters and I treasured homemade Mexican taquito day.  They were always made the day after a roast beef.  We would do our best to pinch our noses and get through that meal knowing very well that the next day there would be mounds of bright green guacamole to slather on sizzling warm taquitos made from the leftover roast.

We’d eat our fair share, fight for the last one, and immediately anticipate the next taquito day.

Today, it’s big brothers favorite meal as well.

When he sees me in the kitchen rolling them up he never fails to ask me if they’re going to be soft or hard.  No, not “that’s what she said,” but simply meaning enchiladas or taquitos.

When I tell him hard, he jumps up with a big, “yes!”  He’ll then say, “make extra green sauce mama – I love that stuff!”

That reaction alone makes these a frequent dish on my meal plan.

Homemade Mexican Taquitos

-Makes about 15 Mexican taquitos

Mexican taquitos make a perfect midweek meal that you can make in about 30 minutes.

As my mother did, they can be made using leftover roast beef from the day before.

I usually use grassfed beef stew meat or a small roast that’s been cooked in the crockpot during the day. The crock pot makes it easy to cook your meat while your away or at work and come home to softened beef ready for shredding.

To the shredded beef, I always add my own homemade salsa.  It’s a great combination of tomatoes, peppers, and onions that give it an additional depth of flavor and spice.  If I feel like making my filling a little creamier, I’ll add some shredded cheese to that as well.

Although this is what I usually use for my filling, feel free to experiment.  That’s the beauty of taquitos – you really can’t go wrong.

Ingredients:

• 1 – 1 1/2 lb beef stew meat or small roast, cooked and finely shredded
• Corn tortillas
• 1 cup salsa (my homemade recipe)
• 3/4 cup pork lard (sub extra virgin olive oil)

Method:

1. In a crockpot, add your beef and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

2. Once the beef has cooked through and is softened, shred.

3. Once shredded, add the salsa and mix thoroughly.

4. Warm your tortillas.

The trick to be able to roll up your corn tortillas is to first warm them up.  I start with 12 tortillas and gently cook them on the range until softened.  I place them in my tortilla warmer to keep them nice and soft and ready for filling.  You can also keep them on a dish covered with a damp cloth.

5. In a cast iron skillet or pan, slowly bring to heat home rendered pork lard or extra virgin olive oil.

6. Add about 2 tablespoons of beef filling to each tortilla and roll up.

7. Working in batches, add the rolled up taquitos, seam side down, to the heated skillet.  Brown each side for 5-8 minutes or until hardened.

That’s it.

Garnish with homemade guacamole (recipe comings soon), sour cream and salsa. Serve with a side of homemade Mexican Rice and Beans.

Buen Provecho!