DIY

I Made Taquitos

And you can, too

Lately, I’ve been helping my Mexican-American significant other make taquitos.

Honestly, everyone loves them — from his two-year-old nephew Julian to his 84-year-old grandmother Carmen.

The pickiest of pint-size eaters will eat your taquitos — more so if you use wheat tortillas.

You only need a few ingredients — tortillas, oil, cheese, and a protein. I opt to dip them in the creamy, hybrid, Mexican-style salsa and hot sauce, but there are a lot of options when it comes to salsa or hot sauce.

I made taquitos ALONE for the first time while traveling through Tucson, Arizona this week.

I saw someone selling tamales and tortillas on the street corner. He said everything was homemade in his Nogales, Mexico home.

If you’ve had homemade tortillas, you know the drill.

You want these tortillas.

I had two options. I could save the tortillas to share with my household back home. Or I could make taquitos while in Arizona.

“Two roads diverged in a wood…”

Ahem, in the desert.

I think you already know what happened. I made taquitos.

And you can, too!

First, heat the oil. I used olive oil.

While you’re doing that — lay your tortilla flat, add a thin line of protein down the middle (I used shredded chicken) and cheese (I used mozzarella) — and roll tightly. Don’t stuff them very full!

Once the oil is heated, put your tortilla rolls in the pan and brown on each side on medium heat.

Taquitos! You did it. Seriously, that’s how easy it is.

They’ll be hot; I’d split them in half.

Now, maybe you’re ready for corn tortillas. But you probably don’t want to listen to my directions because I’ve never done them by myself. But I have witnessed corn taquitos in the making.

You just need less oil in the pan and to watch them more closely — because the corn tortillas burn easier than wheat tortillas.

The taquitos were just like my partner makes them.

Maybe it was the Paloma, made from grapefruit we picked off the trees outside, or maybe the taquitos were just that good.

I’m sure the homemade tortillas assisted the cause.

Try it! Then please, tell me if you love them.