Puffy Tacos
Living in Converse, Texas were the days that our neighbors would gather and have weekend block parties. My mother cooked puffy tacos all day long and into the evening. She efficiently made these tacos because she set up an assembly line to press, fry and fill the tacos. Mom prepared the seasoned ground beef, and all the toppings ahead of time. The shells were made with masa ‘dough’ prepared with masa harina. A puffy taco shell is shaped by flattening masa in a tortilla press. The thin rounds of masa are then fried into shells that are crisp on the outside, soft in the middle and packed with corn flavor. Mom is a pro and can fry and flip the shells with a fork, but I use a spatula and a fork to flip the shells in the hot oil. Puffy tacos shells taste best immediately after frying. Immediately fill and serve the puffy tacos with the seasoned taco meat and topped them off with grated cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and onions. If you enjoy this recipe, you’ll find more South Texas favorites like it in my cookbook here.
Alta’s Puffy Tacos
from My South Texas Kitchen Cookbook
YvetteZunigaJemison.com
Makes 24 tacos
Beef Filling
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup onion, diced
3 1-ounce packets Original Taco Seasoning mix
2 cups water
Taco Shell
5 cups masa harina
1 ½teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups hot water
Assembly
2 cups vegetable oil
Beef filling, heated
1 ½pounds American cheese, grated
Iceberg lettuce, shredded
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
Special Equipment
Tortilla press
Beef Filling
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the ground beef and onions and cook, breaking up with the back of a spoon, until the meat is browned and the onions are softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the seasoning packets and water and stir well. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid thickens and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes
Taco Shell
1. In a large bowl, stir the masa harina and salt together.
2. Make a well in the center of the masa harina. Slowly pour the water into the well and stir to combine. Use your hands to mix in the remaining bits of dry ingredients. Knead the dough until smooth. If the dough is still dry and crumbly, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing completely before adding more. The dough should be moist and smooth and no longer sticking to your hands. Place in the mixing bowl and keep covered with a moist paper towel.
3. Scoop out a 3 tablespoon portion of dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the dough balls back into the bowl and cover with a moist paper towel. Let rest to completely hydrate the masa, about 30 minutes and up to 3 hours in advance.
Assembly
1. Line a sheet pan with paper towels and set aside. In a 10-inch skillet heat the oil on medium-high heat until the oil sizzles and bubbles when the edge of a tortilla touches the oil.
2. See page 15 for tips on how to cut a liner for a tortilla press.
3. Open the tortilla press and place the plastic liner so that the bottom plate is covered with the liner and the remaining half of the liner hangs off the bottom plate. Working with one masa ball at a time, place the dough ball in the center of the plastic-lined bottom plate. Fold the other half of the liner over the dough ball. Close the top plate of the tortilla press and gently press down on the handle until the tortilla is evenly pressed into a 5-inch round. Open the press and gently peel off the top liner. Turn the tortilla directly onto the palm of your hand, with the bottom liner facing up. Gently peel off the liner.
4. Let the tortilla peel off of your hand, away from you, and into the hot oil. Cook until it begins to puff around the edges and the bottom is lightly golden, not deep brown or crisp, about 15 seconds.
5. Use a spatula to flip the tortilla. Let it cook until the second side facing down begins to develop a crust, but not get crispy, about 10 seconds. Use the spatula to fold the tortilla in half. Cook until the shell is crispy and golden brown on the outside, 10-20 seconds on each side.
6. Lift the fried tortilla shell out of the grease and let the excess grease drip back into the skillet. Set on the paper towel lined sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
7. Fill each taco shell with about a 2 tablespoon scoop of seasoned taco meat and served with the cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.
