Flauta (meaning flute in English) describes this dish’s appearance: a tightly
rolled, stuffed tortilla with a flute-like shape. Authentic Mexican flautas are
made with small corn tortillas filled with meat, deep-fried, and served with a
spicy or savory sauce on top.
Here, I
used flour tortillas—both six-inch and eight-inch—fried in one-half cup of
canola oil. The method is lighter than deep-frying, and flour tortillas are not
quite as dense as corn tortillas.
The roasted
chile sauce is made with a mixture of mild and spicy chiles. It’s easy to prepare,
and you can adjust the heat up or down by adding or omitting hot chiles.
You’ll need
the oven for both the chiles and the pork, so roast the chiles quickly at a
high temperature, then turn it down to braise the pork for a few hours.
Note: You don’t need many
filling ingredients because there’s simply not enough room. The tortillas are
tightly rolled before frying, and too much stuffing would prevent them from
holding together.
Makes 15-20
flautas (depending on tortilla size)
Ingredients
For the Roasted-Chile Sauce
- 4 scallions, white and light green parts only
- 4 large garlic cloves, not peeled
- 4 serrano chiles
- 3 poblano
chiles
- 2 jalapeno
chiles
- 1 red bell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeded and stemmed
- olive oil,
for drizzling, plus 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp
ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp
dried oregano
- sea salt
- 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
For the Pulled-Pork Flautas
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 1/2- to 3-lb pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 2 pieces
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4-5 chiles de arbol (or other small dried chiles)
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 15 8-inch or 20 6-inch (or a mixture of both) warm corn or flour tortillas (warm tortillas are easier to roll)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese (or white cheddar)
- 1/2 cup canola oil, plus more if needed
|
Onions, Garlic, and Chiles de Arbol |
Preparation
For the Roasted-Chile Sauce
- Preheat the
oven to 450° F.
- Place the scallions, garlic all chiles, and red bell pepper on a large, rimmed baking
sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss well to coat.
- Roast 15 minutes, turning halfway through, until all sides of the chiles are
charred.
|
Finely Processed Vegetables |
|
Roasted Chile Sauce |
For the Pulled-Pork Flautas
- Reduce the
oven temperature to 275° F.
- Heat a
Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the pork all over with salt and pepper. Add the pork, chiles de arbol, garlic, and onion to the pot and sear until the meat is browned on the bottom, 4-5 minutes.
Turn and sear another 4-5 minutes.
|
Seasoned Pork Shoulder |
|
Pork Beginning to Brown |
- Add the
broth and bring to a light simmer. Cover tightly
and place in the oven. Braise about 3 hours (depending on your oven’s
temperature), until the pork is very tender and juicy. (Turn the meat halfway
through.)
|
Pork Ready to Braise |
|
Pork after Braising 1.5 hours |
|
Braised Pork |
- Remove to a
large platter or cutting board and let cool slightly. Shred the meat with your
fingers or two forks, discarding any fat.
- Lay the tortillas on a work surface. Working
with 1 at a time, place a line of pulled pork (2-3 tablespoons) close
to the left edge. Top with 1-2 tablespoons of cheese.
- Roll up the
tortilla very tightly, tucking in the filling as you go. Place on a platter
seam-side down and continue making the remaining flautas.
|
Pulled Pork |
|
Flauta Ready to Roll Up |
|
Rolled Flautas Ready to Fry |
- Heat a
large, deep skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 cup canola oil. Working in
batches, place as many flautas as will fit in the skillet in a single layer,
seam-side down, and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes on the first side
and 1-2 minutes on the second side.
- Remove to a
large plate and repeat with the remaining flautas. (Add a little more oil if
the skillet becomes too dry.)
|
Flautas Beginning to Fry |
|
Flautas after the First Turn |
|
Fried Flautas |
To serve, divide the flautas among plates and
spoon the roasted chile sauce on top. Serve right away.
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