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Hi Everyone!
Today's recipe is another Mexican Recipe! Sorry I seem to be craving a lot of Mexican food lately, I hope you don't mind, I promise, with my next recipe, I will take you all the way to Japan, so please stay tuned! For now, I will be leaving you with one of my favorite "Antojito Mexicano" Flautas!
They are basically a Taco, there is two main differences between a Taco and a Flauta, the first one is the tortillas. Tortillas for flautas are usually longer and thinner, however, I wasn't able to get those tortillas where I live, so I ended up using regular tortillas. The second difference is that Flautas are rolled into a cylindrical-shape to resemble a Flute.
Tacos are just folded in half, and after you cook them you can still add some filling inside them... with a Flute or a Flauta, what you cook is what you get... you cannot add any other fillings, but hey, don't be sad, you can still dip your flautas in all kinds of delicious sauces.
So Today I will be making Assorted Flautas, just the way Mama does, after 1 or 2 flautas you get tired of the same filling, so I decided to go all the way out and make 4 fillings! All very simple to make and very budget friendly... You will be able to feed at least 10 people with less than $20 dollars! You can't beat that!
Preparation time: 30-35 mins. Cooking time if frying: 5-10 minutes. Cooking time if baking: 8-10 minutes.
Ingredients for the Flautas:
- Corn Tortillas (it will be nice if you could get Flauta Tortillas, if not, regular tortillas will work just fine)
- Vegetable Oil for Frying (2 cups) or Cooking spray for Baking
- Toothpicks to keep the flautas closed when frying
Chicken Filling: (Makes 12-15)
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 bay leave
- salt to taste
Beans and Chorizo Filling: (Makes 8-10)
- 1 14oz can pinto beans
- 4-5 tablespoons of Chorizo (get a good quality Chorizo)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt to taste
- Splash of vegetable oil
Poblano pepper Filling (Rajas con Queso) (Makes 10-12)
- 2 poblano peppers
- 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon seasoning
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Cheesy Potato Filling: (Makes 15+)
- 2 cups of water
- 1 113g bag mashed potatoes mix
- 1/2 cup of shredded cheese
Preparation: (if you are baking the flautas preheat the oven to 400ºF)
Poblano Pepper Strips:
In a very hot pan or griddle, toast the bell peppers on all sides, for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until the skin starts to blister. Once they are done, place them in a plastic bag. Close the bag, and let the peppers steam inside the bag for about 10-15 minutes, to soften the skin.
After 10 minutes or so, peel them off. Remove the stems, veins and seeds and cut the peppers into thin strips.
In a skillet, on medium heat add 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil, also add in the onions and chopped tomatoes, cook for 2 minutes or until the onion becomes transparent. Add in the poblano strips, season with 1/2 teaspoon of chicken bouillon seasoning and a pinch of black pepper, stir, taste the flavor and add any salt if needed. Cook for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and add in the shredded cheese. Set aside until ready to use.
Chicken filling:
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add some salt, a garlic clove, and a bay leave, cook the chicken for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
Drain the chicken, let it cool and shred it. Set aside until ready to use.
Beans and Chorizo Filling:
Drain and rinse the beans.
On a small skillet, on medium heat add a splash of vegetable oil and cook the chorizo for about 3 minute. Once the chorizo is cooked, add in the beans and season with 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin, taste the flavor and add any salt if needed. Cook for 3 minutes to heat up the beans and then mash them with a spoon or fork. Set them aside until ready to use. (Mashing the beans will help them to stay put in place when frying the flautas)
Cheesy Potato Filling:
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Once it starts boiling, turf off the heat and add in the mashed potato mix. Stir well for about 1 minute or until the mixture becomes thick. Add in the cheese, give it one last stir, cover with a lid and let it stand for 5 minutes before using it.
To make the Flautas:
Heat up the tortillas in the microwave for about 45 seconds. If you use cold tortillas, they will probably break as you roll them, so please do heat them up a little bit before using them!
Grab a warm tortilla, add about 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite filling right in the middle and roll it into a flute as tight as you can.
Grab another tortilla, add your favorite filling and roll it into a flute again. Now grab a toothpick and bring both Flautas together, this will make the frying process easier, the toothpick will prevent the flautas from rolling open.
Keep on making the flautas until you are done.
Fry the Flautas, a couple at a time, in hot oil for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain them on paper towels before serving them!
Or if you prefer, you can bake them at 400ºF for about 8-10 minutes or until nice and golden brown. (Before you bake them, don't forget to spray them with cooking spray!)
That's it.. enjoy...
I like serving my flautas with a very simple salad of shredded lettuce, red onions and cherry tomatoes, drizzled with lime juice and seasoned with salt and ground black pepper. Don't forget to add your favorite salsa to dip the flautas in, and enjoy!!
I will add my favorite salsa to dip the flautas in it.. and that's about it
enjoy!
