Jamie Oliver’s Gorditas and Salsa

(serves 16)

Posted with permission

For the gorditas:

• 500g fine cornmeal or masa harina (which is similar)

• ½ level teaspoon sea salt

• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

• 700ml hot water

plain flour, for dusting

• olive oil

For the salsa:

• 1 red apple, halved and cored

• 3 large, ripe tomatoes, quartered and deseeded

• 2 spring onions, trimmed

• 1 red chili, deseeded

• a small bunch of fresh coriander

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

• 1 lime

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

• 200g Don Francisco Mexican cheese, or feta (which is similar)

• optional: 1 fresh red chilli, very finely sliced

• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Put the cornmeal and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Mix the baking powder into the hot water and pour this into the well. Using a fork, mix the cornmeal into the liquid, and when it starts to come together use your hands to knead it. Divide the dough into 16 equal squash-ball-sized pieces and dust them lightly with flour. Roll each piece around in your hands, then pat and flatten into a small round roughly the size of the base of a wine glass. Put these on an oiled tray, dust with flour and put aside while you make your salsa.

Finely chop your apple, tomatoes and spring onions, and finely slice your chili. Put them all into a bowl. Pick the leaves from your coriander and put them into a bowl of water until you’re ready to serve. Chop the coriander stalks up nice and finely and add to the bowl with the other salsa ingredients. Put a large pan on a medium heat and add your pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Toss them around for a few minutes and toast them. Add them to your salsa with the juice of your lime, a good lug of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well, then have a taste and add a little more seasoning, lime juice or chili if you think it needs more attitude. Put the pan back on a medium heat and add a couple of good lugs of olive oil. Cook as many gorditas as will comfortably fit into the pan for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until they’re golden and puff up a little.

Serve the gorditas warm out of the pan with a tablespoon of your beautiful salsa, a little hunk of cheese, a couple of your drained coriander leaves and a few slices of chili, if you fancy, and with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over.