Stuffed Sopapillas w/ Steak & Potato

Oh auntie...she could have a waiting room filled with people waiting for her delicious, wonderful food. I learn so much from her & had a blast capturing her step by steps. I think it was exactly a year ago that I took the kids to her house on a Saturday, while I would be rehearsing & having church. She sent me away with two of these stuffed Sopapillas in foil & I've wanted them ever since. Now I need to try to make them myself & I think you should too. 

You've got to start with tortilla dough...(click HERE for measurements)...and the filling...for now, refer to my beef & potato filling. Auntie's was steak, but I missed that part. 

Here it goes!!! 

Prepare the dough on the tortilla instructions until you're at this step.

cover them & keep them warm & moist

set filling aside to be coolish as you add it to the dough

make a disc out of the ball of dough

Roll starting in the middle of the disc, lightly up. 

Turn a 6th, lightly roll up, turn a 6th, lightly roll up etc.

Place filling in the center

Fold over bottom & top

Fold over sides

Place seem side down

Place darlings under a towel to stay warm & moist

Have family off to the side playing Light Sabers 

Place in oil seem side down

Whoops. Flipped to early & beginning to come apart.

Totally gonna taste good anyway, You know it!

Good assembly line going...

That's green chile in the back. Going on top at the finish.

Yes. The pile is building.

Sophia (age 4) ran by, smashed this one & ran off.

Still gonna be delish. 

Building....

Happy Birthday Art! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the party...

there's AUNTIE!

 My beautiful sis-in-law Jen..

Art (Bompa) & Jackson! 

 CHEESE!

Best part...Phia painting nails. Like everyone's nails...

...including Micah's. 

"ooooh! Powish!" 

Jen's amazing carrot cake..

Happy Birthday to YOU! 

xo

Grilled Quesadillas w/ shrimp, sweet corn & Jalapeño Pesto...by Bobby Flay

Jalapeño Pesto 6 jalapeño chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped [warning: it's mega hot - use less if necessary] 2 c. fresh cilantro leaves 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 T. pine nuts ½ c. olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions: Combine the jalapeños, cilantro, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and process until smooth.  With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil and blend until emulsified.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Quesadillas 3 ears corn (or 3 c. corn kernels) 12  6 inch corn tortillas 2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese 1 c. grated white cheddar cheese 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced into rounds 2 T. finely chopped fresh thyme leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper Olive oil 16 shrimp, shelled and deveined

Directions:

Brush shrimp w/ olive oil, salt and pepper, & fry in non-stick skillet just until pink.

Sauté the sweet onion slices until softened.

Mix onions, corn, cheeses and thyme. 

Divide evenly to top 8 tortillas. 

Stack one on top of another and top with remaining 4 tortillas.   

Grill both sides in hot non-stick skillet until cheeses are melted & tortillas are browned and crisp.

Cut into quarters.  

Top each quarter with 1 T. jalapeno pesto and a grilled shrimp. A Bobby Flay recipe.

Homemade Flour tortillas

When I was first learning to make tortillas,   I would get lessons from my Auntie Gale, my father in law, Art & Aunt Tina. I'd come right home to practice & right away, be full of questions. 


There are so many variables when making flour tortillas. So much of it is practice, practice, practice. Everyone ends up with their preference of the steps as you'll find what works for you. 


I have found these measurements & steps work for me & I'm thankful to be able to watch our family making them in person so that I can feel the temp of water, moistness of dough, heat of comal etc.. 


Just start making them & you'll get the hang of it.

Ingredients

4 cups bread flour (traditionally made with all-purpose flour, I have begun to prefer bread flour to help my tortillas become a bit more airy & fluffy) Auntie's are perfectly fluffy with all purpose. :)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons lard

HOT water (about 1 1/2)

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. 

Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. 

Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. 

Pinch 24 pieces off and roll each piece into a ball

Place dough balls on platter & cover with plastic wrap & tea towel. 

Allow dough to rest for at least 45 minutes. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low & use a well-floured surface & rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. 

Turn dough ball into a round disc before rolling.

Making tortillas at Aunt Tina's in Texas.
It's much easier to use a dowel cut from lumber store than a large rolling pin. 

Roll from the center of disc up & lightly down. Turn a 6th & repeat rolling until the desired thickness.

Keeping all other dough covered, resting & moist. 

Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side.

About 30-45 seconds per side. Place the cooked tortilla in a folded tea towel; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.

Other references I have referred to:
Flour Tortillas (Step-by-Step)
All Recipe: Homemade Flour Tortillas