Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Shredded Pork Taquitos

I am a stay-at-home mom.  But since the last of our five children started kindergarten this past fall, I joke that between the hours of eight and three while they are at school, I am simply a mom who stays home.  It took some time getting used to the empty house and it just being me during the weekdays.  I've been home with, at least, one child for lots and lots of years.  But, I've come to relish those hours now since it allows me to get a lot of housework done, to work freely on the blog, to catch a nap if desired and it allows my brain some peace - all without any interruptions.  (Is that too selfish sounding?)
 
 
My hectic times seem to be more in the afternoon due to activities and such that my kids participate in.  Throughout the year, they are involved in band, community theater, sports, quiz bowl, student council and art club - oh my!  Then, of course, there are all those doctor appointments - yesterday we hit the eye doctor and the dentist all in one afternoon.  Today we had art club after school ... followed by two student-led parent/teacher conferences.
 
So, I'm a mom who utilizes my slow cooker a ton! I get the kids on the bus a little after seven each morning, then I can focus on getting something going in the slow cooker once they take off for the day.  It's a must-have kitchen appliance for me ... since I know that I am not home several days a week during the afternoon to slip away to the kitchen to cook. 

I made a large batch of my Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Pork with these taquitos in mind.  The recipe for the shredded pork makes a big batch, so I'm, also, able to portion the meat out and freeze some for a quick weeknight dinner option on another night.

I've made taquitos before, but decided to combine my method with a recently-published recipe for taquitos from a fellow blogger, Riches to Rags by Dori.  These were a winner in our house.

Yields 10 taquitos.


Ingredients:

2 cups (or so) of Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Pork (See recipe HERE)
10 soft corn tortillas
4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
10 tablespoons (almost one cup) shredded cheese (I use a fiesta blend or Colby-jack)
Accompaniments:  guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, red onions, lettuce, tomatoes, lime wedges (per your preference)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

If you made the pork in advance (recipe HERE), make sure that your pork is reheated.  Set aside.

Begin by heating the oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat. 

Place one corn tortilla into the oil and lightly cook on each side for about 20 - 30 seconds.  You are not looking to fry it crisp.  You only need to soften the tortilla so that it is pliable.  Remove from skillet and blot with paper towel on both sides to remove excess oil.  (There will still be some oil coating the tortilla.  This is needed to help with crisping when baked.)  Set tortilla aside on a plate.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas.  (Add in more oil, if needed.)

Once all of the tortillas are softened in oil, lay one out on a clean work surface and place about 2 - 3 tablespoons of the pork in a line across the tortilla. (A slotted spoon works best if your pork has any amount of liquid.)  Do this not quite in the middle of the tortilla, but not all of the way to the edge either.  Top with about 1 tablespoon of the shredded cheese.


Roll tortilla tightly and place seam-side down into a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas.


Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the they become slightly crisp and just begin to turn brown around the edges.

Remove from oven and transfer taquitos to a paper towel-line plate.  Allow to rest there for a couple of minutes.

Serve with any of the suggested accompaniments/toppings listed above.

 

8 comments :

  1. I've never tried Taquitos at home before, but I instantly pinned this to my "party bite" board :) Are the tortillas crispy or chewy when they're finished? I only ask because I think taquitos are usually fried, but I like the idea of baking them this way.

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    1. They do crisp up nicely, but mine still had a slight chew to them ... especially towards the center. I could've let them bake a few more minutes probably, but was afraid of them getting too crispy on the edges and burning. :) They are so good. Makin' them again this weekend per the kids' request!

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    2. I ended up making a version of these, but I just fried them instead. haha. Thanks for the inspiration:

      http://www.foxeslovelemons.com/2013/03/chicken-green-chile-taquitos-with.html

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    3. So glad you were able to turn these into something that worked for you. And, who doesn't love something fried?! :)

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  2. Can I sub corn for white whole wheat homeamde tortillas? Corn is pretty much banned in our home bc of the GMOs. :)

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    1. I haven't ever tried making these with anything other than corn tortillas. But, I'm thinking it would work with whole wheat. You may not get the exact fried-like, super crunchy texture, but then again ... maybe you will. :) You'll have to let us know if you use them for this recipe and how it works. :)

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  3. Tried These Before And LoveThem, I'm Wondering, Do You Think They Would Freeze, Well?

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Jennifer. I haven't tried it, but I'm thinking they would freeze fine. I would thaw them, wrap them in foil maybe to reheat in oven.

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