Flautas and Taquitos
These fried filled taco tubes are actually more Tex-Mex than Mex, but have become a popular Mexican street snack and restaurant favorite. Flautas (flutes) are larger, about the diameter of a cigar—about 4 to 5 inches long, and about 1 inch in diameter. Taquitos are smaller, more like a cigarillo—about 3 to 3 1/2 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter. Both flautas and taquitos are great choices for entertaining. Serve either as finger food, figuring 2 to 3 per person as an appetizer, or include them as part of a main course combination plate. In Mexico, both flautas and taquitos are usually made with corn tortillas, rarely with flour. For taquitos especially, it’s very difficult to find flour tortillas thin enough to roll up into the proper tight little tubes and seal them securely. At the end of many of the recipes in the book is a feature called Tortillas that notes fillings that work well as flautas or taquitos. Among the many delicious choices are all-vegetable Squash Blossoms with Green Chiles and Cheese (page 23) or Wild Forest Mushrooms with Garlic (page 25) to meat-based Yucatán Chicken with Achiote (page 48), Turkey with Mole (page 52), Pork Carnitas (page 78), or Braised Beef Short Ribs (page 96). In general, the best fillings are cheese based as they hold together and cook evenly. Meat or chicken should be shredded, rather than in big chunks, which can take too long to heat up, causing the tortilla to overfry and burn.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
To make flautas and taquitos: Start with very fresh, very thin and pliable yellow corn tortillas—5 1/2-inch rounds for flautas, about 4-inch rounds for taquitos.
Step 2
Lay the tortilla on a work surface with the thicker side (if they are handmade) on the bottom for easier rolling. Spoon a line of filling on the tortilla about one-third the way up from the bottom edge and extending from side edge to side edge. You’ll need about 2 tablespoons filling for flautas, 1 1/2 tablespoons filling for taquitos. Begin rolling up from the bottom edge; the first roll should cover the filling. Continue rolling into a very tight cylinder, about 1 inch diameter for flautas, 3/4 inch or less for taquitos. Stuff the ends with more filling using your fingers if necessary so the filling is firmly packed from one edge to the other (otherwise the oil will seep into the tube and make the filling greasy). For flautas, secure the edge of the tortilla with a toothpick. For taquitos, brush the edge of the tortilla with egg wash or water and press to seal.
Step 3
To fry flautas and taquitos: In a deep fryer or large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat about 2 1/2 inches of canola oil over medium heat until it reaches 350˚F on a deep-fat thermometer (monitor the temperature carefully; any hotter, and the shells will be too dark; any cooler, and they will be greasy). Add the filled tubes in batches, if necessary, and fry until a light, golden brown, about 2 minutes for flautas, about 1 minute for taquitos. Remove from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
