Cazuelitas (Little Cazuelas*)

 Cazuelitas (Little Cazuelas*)

Th is is a popular “snack” that is prepared in

the northeastern part of Mexico but litt le known

elsewhere. Th e recipe was given to me by a dear

friend and wonderful cook, Berta G. de Morales

Doria, who is a native of Nuevo León. Cazuelitas

are served hot from the pan along with Mexican

rice (which is traditionally served alone as a pasta

course in Mexico). Th ey are fatt ening, I must admit,

not so much because of what goes into them

but because you cannot stop at one or two—aft er

four you might consider it.

I prefer cazuelitas that are fi lled with chorizo,

but they can also be fi lled with beans, or zucchini

squash cooked with tomato. For the Chihuahua

cheese, you could substitute a good-quality medium

Cheddar, but the chorizo presents a problem.

Good Mexican-type chorizo is hard to come

by; shun like the plague that ultra-red chorizo in

a plastic casing: it dissolves like a meat stew that

has been overseasoned with the wrong condiments.

Th e cazuelitas will certainly be more delicious

if made with real tortilla masa from the tortilla

factory, or make do with what is available.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (225 g) chorizos (see recipe, page 266,
• Th e Art of Mexican Cooking)
• 1/3 cup fi nely grated cheese, for garnish
• dough
• 1 cup (about 10 ounces [285 g]) corn tortilla
• dough
• 2 small potatoes cooked with their skins on
• (about 4 ounces [115 g])
• 1/4 cup (65 mL) grated cheese (Chihuahua in
• Mexico, medium Cheddar in the United
• States)
• Sea salt to taste
• Lard for frying

Preparation:

Strip the skin off the chorizos, crumble, and fry

the meat gently until slightly brown but not crisp.

Do not have the heat too high, as the ground dried

chiles in the meat burn very easily.

Put the tortilla dough in a bowl. Crush the potatoes

roughly—I personally do not peel them—

and add them with the 1/4 cup (65 mL) cheese and

the salt to the tortilla dough. Mix the ingredients

together well and do not knead too much, as the

dough should be slightly lumpy. If it seems dry

and crumbly, then add a litt le water. Th e dough

should be pliable, as if you were making tortillas.

Take a piece of the dough and roll it into a ball

about 11/4 inches (3 cm) across. Press the center

in with the thumbs to form a well and continue

to press, thinning the dough out around the sides

to form a small cup shape that is slightly fl ared at

the top.

Heat the lard in a frying pan—it should be

about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) deep—and fry the cazuelitas

well over high heat, fl ipping a litt le of the hot

lard into the center well. Th ey should be slightly

golden on the outside and doughy inside. Fill each

one with some of the crumbled chorizo, sprinkle

them with the 1/3 cup (65 mL) cheese, and

serve immediately. Cazuelitas do not take kindly

to sitt ing around or reheating—this is pan-tomouth

food.