Swedish Taco Night Fridays: Taquitos Revisited

Guess what the ICA Kvantum Store Sannegården finally stocked on the Mexican shelf  recently ?????

Image - Nuevo Progreso EU, Corn Tortillas

http://www.nuevoprogreso.eu/

Well they finally did it. Yesterday and today I purchased several packages and will make the Taquitos tonight and freeze them, then cook them tomorrow evening for our guests. We were having Mexican night any ways with friends, so when I stumbled across this piece of great news in the Mexican section as I was grabbing some packages of the Santa Maria Mexican Spices, I spotted the Corn Tortillas there on the middle shelf. Changed my whole Menu plan completely for tonight. Interestingly I was suspicious at first because I have in the past purchased what were labeled as Corn Tortillas, but they were a 50/50 mix of wheat and corn flour. The other very important point on this brand tortilla packages for us was that they are Gluten Free and NON-GMO. So pluses '+' all around for this achievement. Amazing how Europe can have Laws on labeling for GMOs and the Monsanto Plant in the United Kingdom has a notice on the Cafeteria board exclaiming no genetically modified foods will be served to employees because they (Company administration) believe in 'CHOICE' and yet they spent $49 million to defeat labeling laws for and inside California. Go figure!

Picked up some 8 Avocados for Guacamole and I may even try a baking of the Taquitos approach as well as the freezing and then deep frying.  Previously I gave a recipe idea here on making Taquitos, which I have to say are for the most part completely foreign to most Swedes who like Mexican Foods. Here's that link again:

Swedish Taco Night Fridays: Taquitos (soft rolled Tacos) & Guacamole

Mainly, stick to the recipe plan I gave in the link above for preparation of the Taquitos. I'm using Chicken (Kyckling) tonight, although you can easily use Beef which actually is more common. Shredded Beef if you can find that, but minced beef (Hamburger Meat 4 the Americans) will be fine. The only difference will be this.

1) Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 176 Celsius

2) Coat a medium or large oven glass baking dish with a small amount of Canola Oil (Rapsolja) until evenly coated but not excessively. (Follow recipe for cooking meat from the link above which is the article from two weeks ago)

3) Put the Corn Tortillas in the microwave for a seconds to soften them up. You may want to even lightly brush them with some Canola Oil (Rapsolja) just to make sure they come out soft and a bit leathery which won't crack when you roll them up.

4) Place a small amount of finely minced chicken or beef down the center of the warm soft corn tortilla and roll or wrap up tightly. You can close it with a toothpick, or just put the tightly rolled Taquito crease side down in a 9 X 13 inch or larger Casserole Dish.  

5) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning Taquitos over at least once or until they are crispy and lightly brown on all sides.

6) Serve with side dishes of Salsa, Guacamole, Sour Cream (Creme Fraiche) or Cheese dip.  Guacamole is the main traditional dip. (Follow my previous recipe for Guacamole)

My favourite way of working with Corn Tortillas of course involves Canola Oil. For those in Sweden who don't understand or who NEVER have worked with corn tortillas yet, it is not enough to microwave them and get them hot. One way or another you have got to fry them in the oil, but not for very long. You'll get the hang of it though. My favourite Taquitos are still the ones which I create and then freeze to shape them and then later frying them in Canola Oil to give them that permanent shape, texture and flavour. Below I have some photos of how I actually baked them and how you prepare them to begin with.

My Kitchen

Notice the bowl and brush with the Canola Oil (Rapolja) ? This is necessary whether you fry or bake the Taquitos. The goal here is to get the corn tortillas soft, pliable and leathery. They are easier to work with and taste better. IF YOU DON'T DO THIS, you will be disappointed with the dry crackled texture and will never want them again. You can also see the finely chopped or minced Chicken (Kyckling), and it actually takes very little to roll up tightly into the Taquitos. Although I like Chicken, it's the beef that is my favoutie and it's also the most traditional.

next,

Photo: Mine

As you can see, very little goes into the actually Taquito. While the meat, whether Chicken or Beef, that goes into your Taquitos is the main ingredient, it's the Guacamole, Salsa, cheese and any other toppings that you either dip them into or add on top of on your plate which gives further moisture and flavour. You can brush the top of the Taquitos with more Canola Oil before putting into the oven at around 200 Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Remember, if you don't, they will come out dry by this method. Also remember when placing them in the casserole dish to place the seam or crease end down so that they don't unwrap. You can actually make dozens upon dozens of these Taquitos and freeze them for future use. So get your ingredients ahead of time and have a Taquito making party just like the Mexican women in a Family do when making Tamales.

Some restaurant entrepreneur somewhere in Sweden is going to get smart and really learn how to make and perfect the art of making Taquitos. The common Fast-Food Takeaway business in the United States quite often sells them as either 4 Taquitos or 4 Rolled Tacos topped with Guacamole, Salsa (or Pico de Gallo) and Cheese. Actually there is usually a Salsa Bar with many different Salsa blends for preference taste and heat tolerance. If done correctly they could become the next biggest fast-food craze here. Maybe it will be El Paso Mexican Food in Göteborg or even La Sombritas over in Linnègatan along restaurant row. I don't know who, but somebody will.

As Always - Enjoy!

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REFERENCES:

One of the best places for Taquito Take Away in San Diego County in California is a Mexican chain called Sombreros Mexican Food. ALSO - Remember the purpose of this post, Nuevo Progreso Corn Tortillas are now available at the ICA Kvantum Stores and mostly likely ICA MAXI Stores also. Now there is a further choice, but learn to do it right !!!

http://www.sombreromex.com