Print the recipe page!  Shredded Beef Taquitos

I’ve been seriously craving taquitos all week!  And what do you know?  I looked up a recipe and realized that everything I needed to make them was just waiting to be put together from food in my food storage.  While they’re definitely an infrequent indulgence, they were surprisingly easy to make and tasted so SO much better than the frozen variety!

Prep time:  30 minutes

makes 10 -12 taquitos

Ingredients:

Homemade Corn Tortillas (makes 12-14 tortillas)

4 cups masa flour (corn flour)

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Shredded Beef Filling

2 (12 oz.) cans Kirkland brand canned roast beef

1/2 TBS chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. lime juice

1/2 – 3/4 cup oil for frying

Tools and Supplies

wax paper

toothpicks

tortilla press (*see note) or a rolling pin

Instructions:

To make the corn tortillas:

Heat the water so that it’s very warm.  Mix together the masa flour, baking soda and salt.  Add the water, working with your hands until a dough forms.  Work the dough for several minutes by pressing the dough with your fingers and with the palms of your hand as if you were kneading bread dough.  If at any time the dough seems too wet or too dry, add a little more masa or water.

Take a piece of the masa dough and form it into a ball the size of a plum or a large golf ball.  Using wax paper (both under and on top of the dough) and either a rolling pin or a tortilla press, press the dough into a 6 inch round.

Heat a large skillet on high heat.  Working carefully, remove the wax paper from the dough and allow the dough to hang half on your hand and half hanging down.  Gently lay the dough on the hot skillet and start working on pressing the next tortilla.  Let the tortilla cook on the skillet for 30-60 seconds on each side.  The tortilla should be lightly toasted and have small air pockets forming.

Remove the tortilla to a tortilla warmer (lined with either a dish towel or paper towel) to keep warm until finished.

Mix together masa, baking soda and salt and then add the water.  (I made the dough in two batches, so the amount you see here is half of the recipe.)

Using your hands work the mixture into dough.  By using your hands you’ll be able to tell more easily if it’s too wet or too dry.

After kneading and working the dough for several minutes, take a piece of dough and form it into a ball about the size of a plum.  Flatten the dough ball so that it’s ready to be pressed.

How to press using a tortilla press:

Carefully remove the flattened dough from the wax paper.

Allow the dough to hang half off your hand in order to gently lay it on the skillet.

Cook on a very hot skillet 30 – 60 seconds on each side and keep tortillas warm in a tortilla warmer (or a dish) until finished.

Making the taquitos:

Using a couple of forks, shred the chunks of canned roast beef.  Add in the lime juice then mix together the spices and salt and pepper separately and add to season.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

Using as small a diameter of skillet as possible (while also allowing for the size of the taquitos) heat 1/2 – 3/4 cup oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, work quicky with each warm tortilla laying a few tablespoons of beef filling in the center, rolling tightly, securing the ends with a toothpick and placing into the oil.  The tortillas will split if they wait too long before being placed in the oil so that’s why you have to hurry.  Once in the oil, allow to lightly brown (10-15 seconds) then remove the toothpick and use tongs to turn the taquito to the opposite side to brown.  Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel while making the other taquitos.  Serve while still warm with salsa and greek yogurt (see notes) for dipping.

Heat oil in a small skillet and work quickly to roll each taquito and place it in the oil.

Serve warm with salsa and maybe even some greek yogurt (in place of sour cream) that you whipped up from your food storage.  Ole!

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Notes:

• The tortilla press I bought was $15.  You can find them pretty easily at kitchen specialty shops or Mexican markets.  While I haven’t gotten the hang of using it in pressing flour tortillas, for corn tortillas it worked great and made rolling them out very easy.

• I talk about how to make yogurt and greek yogurt using food storage ingredients in November 17th and 19th’s posts.  The only difference of Greek yogurt as opposed to the initial yogurt you make is that it’s thicker, making an excellent sour cream substitute.  It’s made this way by being thoroughly drained using cheesecloth for 24 hours.   Try it as a substitute for sour cream … you’ll surprise yourself that you made it from your food storage!