Gordita Salad with Baja Sauce

It's time for a confession.

My husband and I love Taco Bell.  There, I said it.  I'm not proud.
Once every few weeks the husband will come home and we'll look at each other, silently speaking with questioning eyes.
Next thing we know, we're in the car and on our way to copious amounts of fried food and squeezable nacho cheese.
Words are not necessary.

My absolute favorite food from Taco Bell is the beef gordita.  I was heartbroken when they took the baja sauce from the menu, but they still have it if you ask and throw in a wink.  Our Taco Bell is very accommodating.

Anyway, I recently figured out a way to make gorditas at home.  If you break it down, it's fried bread, ground beef, and taco toppings.  The base of my recipe comes from an Indian Taco recipe I found on Savory Traditions.  I found that the fried bread was a little difficult to fold, so we ate them with a fork and knife.  The Baja Sauce recipe that follows is truly amazing in how fresh it tastes.  I ate the left-overs with tortilla chips.

Please be careful when frying the bread.

Gordita Salad with Baja Sauce

Adapted from Savory Traditions Indian Tacos

Ingredients:

1 lbs. ground beef

15 oz. can of pinto beans, drained

1 yellow onion, diced

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. garlic powder

Tapatío or Tabasco to taste (whichever you prefer)

2 eggs
1 cup milk
4 cups all-purpose four
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
Canola oil for frying

"Baja Sauce" (recipe below)

Grated cheddar cheese

Shredded lettuce

Chopped tomatoes or fresh salsa

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef, onion, cumin, coriander and garlic powder
2. Brown the meat, and then turn the heat to low and add a few shakes of the hot sauce and pinto beans
3. Allow to simmer while you make the bread
4. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a large bowl and whisk to aerate
5. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a separate bowl
6. Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the liquid; mix until you end up with a dough, adding a little bit of water if the dough is too dry
7. On a floured surface, roll the dough to approximately 1/8" thick
8. Cut the dough into 6" circles (I used a small plate)
9. Use a fork to poke holes through the rounds of dough to allow the oil to come through and help reduce bubbles
10. Using a cast iron Dutch oven, add enough frying oil to be 1/2" deep and add a frying thermometer
11. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches a temperature of around 350°F, making sure it doesn't go above 400°F
12. Carefully fry the circles of dough in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, turning once halfway through cooking, and draining on paper towels
13. Top the fried bread with the meat and bean mixture, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and "Baja Sauce"

Baja Sauce

Ingredients:

Half a red bell pepper, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 Tbs. onion, minced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tbs. white vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Chopped cilantro

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
2. Cover and chill until ready to serve

Beef and Bacon Pie

A little over a year ago I found out that I am a huge George R.R. Martin fan.  I also realized that I binge read.  In one fell swoop I watched the first season of Game of Thrones on HBO, and read my way through the entire series of A Song of Ice and Fire.  Previously, I binged on The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, and currently I am making my way through Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series (One more to go!).  I can promise that there are a ton of fantastical, literature and game based recipes in this blog's future.

A friend of mine turned me onto a blog, Inn at the Crossroads, run by Chelsea and Sariann, two foodies that went about re-creating a number of dishes found throughout the world of A Song of Ice and Fire.  They also released a cookbook by the name of A Feast of Ice and Fire which I highly recommend.  If you are into medieval history and food, and also a fan of G.R.R.M.'s writing, go buy this book.  It's separated into the different regions, which actually correspond to the seasons, if you think about it.  The Wall and The North for winter, Dorne for summer, and so on.

You can find a medieval, slightly sweet version of beef and bacon pie on Inn at the Crossroads, but the version that I made is from their cookbook.  Try it!  You will not be disappointed.

Beef and Bacon Pie

Recipe adapted from A Feast of Ice and Fire, 

by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer

Ingredients:

12 strips of bacon (I only had 9, and it turned out to be the perfect amount!)

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 celery rib, diced

1 russet potato, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 pounds stewing meat, cut small

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup beef broth

Salt and pepper

1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary

1/2 batch of Medieval Pastry Dough (recipe below), or enough pie dough for a 9" pie, unbaked

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. Weave the bacon strips into a lattice, making it as wide as possible
3. Place the woven bacon on a rack placed on a high rimmed baking sheet, so that the oil can drain (I use a cooling rack that is oven safe).
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy
5. Set aside the bacon to cool, and leave the oven on
6. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat
7. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and potato to the pan and cook until soft and golden 
8. Coat the beef in the flour, shaking off excess, and add to the pan with the vegetables
9. Cook the beef over low heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until browned
10. Stir in any extra flour and cook for a minute longer to thicken the juices and dissolve the flour
11. Add the broth, salt, pepper, and rosemary, scraping the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan
12. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until a gravy has formed
13. Take the meat mixture off of the heat and allow to cool
14. Place your empty pie pan face-down over your lattice of bacon, and cut around the pie pan with a very sharp knife until you have a circle of lattice, and crumble the left over bacon into your meat filling
15. Grease the inside of your pie pan
16. Roll out the pie dough to about 1/4" thickness and line your pan, allowing any extra dough to drape over the edge of the pan
17. Pour the cooled meat filling into the shell of the dough
18. Cover with the bacon lattice, pinching off any excess, and fold the extra dough over the sides of the lattice to secure it
19. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden

To make the Medieval Pastry Dough

Ingredients:

Pinch of saffron threads

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 egg yolks

1. Steep the saffron in the water and set aside
2. In a mixing bowl, rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until crumbly 
3. Add the egg yolks and the saffron water to the flour
4. Mix until incorporated, adding water if needed, until the dough sticks together