Très bien!

I love Mexican cuisine – everything from tacos and enchiladas to fajitas and chimichangas! And cooking through my cookbooks has helped me tackle some dishes I love but have never prepared – like these flautas. I found this recipe in Adventures in Mexican Cooking by Angelo Villa and Vicki Berrios (1978). They are fabulous! Do not skip softening the tortillas! And fry just a couple at a time. Next time I am going to try to make mini flautas for appetizers (you’ll find mini corn tortillas in grocery stores everywhere).

 Flautas

12 or more 6-inch corn tortillas

Shredded chicken or beef*

Chipotle sauce (recipe follows) or your favorite salsa

Corn tortillas

Guacamole (optional)

Heat ½-inch oil in a frying pan. On a griddle or separate pan, heat tortillas to soften. Combine chicken or beef filling with just enough chipotle sauce to hold meat together. Fill softened tortillas with approximately 2 teaspoons of prepared meat. Roll tightly and secure at both ends with toothpicks. Light salt and fry in oil until golden, but not too crisp. Drain on paper toweling. Remove toothpicks.

Optional: top with guacamole and serve with additional chipotle sauce. May be made in advance and reheated in 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. They also freeze well.

*Here again I use the soup chicken I stash in my freezer. You can also buy pulled seasoned chicken in most grocery stores. Sirloin or skirt steak are another option. I used about a pound and a half of cooked chicken to make a dozen flautas.

Chiptole sauce

3-4 chipotle chiles

6 to 8 fresh tomatillos (about ½ pound)

2 cloves garlic

2 green onions, finely minced (or 3 tablespoons finely minced onion)

¼ cup water

¼ cup cilantro leaves, slightly chopped

Preheat grill or frying pan over medium-high heat, reduce to medium-low and toast the chiles. Set aside to cool. Place the tomatillos (still in husks) and garlic (with skins on) onto the grill (or in a frying pan). Toast gently, turning often, until the husks are brown and flesh is soft, approximately 10 minutes. Remove stems from chiles (and seeds if you want to reduce the heat). Remove skin from garlic cloves and husks from tomatillos.  Place tomatillos, garlic and all remaining ingredients in blender and blend briefly. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Will keep 1 week.

Cook’s note: sure you can substitute prepared green salsa (I recommend Trader Joe’s) but geez, this sauce is delicious and easy to prepare. Stir leftover sauce into scrambled eggs!