GORDITAS TRIO – ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD

I love Tex-Mex, there I said it.  I love it so much I need a TMA (Tex-Mex Anonymous) chapter to be near by.  I recently ate at an old favorite, Pappasitos Cantina and was not disappointed.  All is right with the world!  They have a new appetizer (that I pray they make a permanent addition to their menu), GORDITAS TRIO.  Even as an appetizer I ordered it as my meal and was unable to eat it all.  They give you 3 for only $5.95.  I am also going to recreate these at home very soon.  LOL I just need some leftovers!
A gordita is a small, thick corn cake made with masa harina (corn flour) similar to a pasty. Gordita means “fatty” in Spanish.  The gordita is typically prepared as a pasty (but these weren’t and that is part of what made them so good), placing the filling on a flat pastry circular shape and folding it to wrap the filling. In some regions, the gordita is pressed with a manual tortilla press, which creates a flat gordita which resembles a very thick tortilla, but in most cases, the gordita is immediately cooked after being filled, which gives this dish its characteristic fat shape (hence the reason of its name).

The most traditional gordita in Mexico is filled with chicharrón prensado (a type of stew made with pork rind and spices) and is called gordita de chicharrón, which has become an icon of the Gordita. It can be found almost everywhere in Mexico, despite the fact each region may have some variations of it, but all uses the same main ingredient.

All of that definition mumbo jumbo said, these were flat corn cakes topped with delicious layers of pork carnitas, chicken tinga (Tinga has a spicy, smoky flavor from chipotle peppers) and beef brisket.  Then they were topped with a combination of shredded lettuce, shredded red cabbage and shredded carrots with a hint of sour cream, 3 slices of fresh avocados and some of their homemade salsa.  After just 2 bites I realized I would not be able to eat all three and slid the corn cakes out and tossed the remainder as a salad.

I wish I’d had my camera with me – they were FANTASTIC!

aprons 3