Ingredients
Tortillas
- 12fresh maize tortillas
Picadillo de papa
- 3 tbspoil
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 1red pepper, finely chopped
- 3garlic cloves, crushed
- 400 gminced beef
- 4potatoes, cut in small dice
- 2 tspground cumin
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 2 tbsptomato puree
- 250 mlbeef stock
- salt and pepper
- a handful of coriander, chopped
Other fillings, choose one
- 300 gchorizo, cooked and sliced
- 400 grefried black beans
- 300 gpicadillo de chayote
To serve
- Salsa Lizano, or a mild brown sauce
- lime wedges
Directions
- Cut the potatoes into small even cubes and keep them in cold water until needed. Warm the oil in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook them for six minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook it for another minute until it smells sweet. Add the minced beef and break it up thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Cook it for eight minutes, until it has browned and its liquid has cooked away. Stir in the cumin, oregano and tomato puree and cook them for a minute.
- Drain the potato dice and add it to the pan with the stock. Season it well, cover the pan and lower the heat. Simmer it for about twenty minutes, until the potato is tender.
- Stir it occasionally and check the bottom is not catching. Now the consistency, which should be moist but not wet. Take the lid off and cook it for a further five minutes if there is liquid left. A wet picadillo will soak through the tortilla and fall apart in the hand.
- Stir the chopped coriander through at the very end, off the heat. Taste it and adjust the salt, since potato absorbs a great deal of it. Now the tortillas, which must be warmed properly rather than served cold.
- Heat a dry comal or heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat. Lay a tortilla on it for about thirty seconds a side. It should soften and puff slightly, and take a few dark spots.
- Stack the warmed tortillas in a cloth as you go so they steam and stay pliable. A cold tortilla cracks when folded, which is why this step is not optional. Put the fillings out in separate bowls with a spoon in each. Bring the wrapped stack of warm tortillas to the table. Two tablespoons of filling per tortilla is about right. Serve lime wedges alongside for those who want them.
Technique
- One filling per gallo, which is what separates it from a taco.
- Cook the picadillo until it is moist but not wet, or the tortilla collapses.
- Warm the tortillas on a dry pan, since cold ones crack when folded.
Substitutions
- A mild brown sauce, if Salsa Lizano is unavailable.
- Shop-bought maize tortillas, warmed on a dry pan.
Variations
- Gallo de chorizo, with sliced cooked chorizo.
- Gallo de frijoles, with refried black beans.
- Picadillo de chayote or arracache in place of potato.
History
The Costa Rican equivalent of a taco, filled with picadillo, chorizo or beans and offered at any gathering.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gallos?
Gallos is a street food from Costa Rica: warm tortilla folded around a single filling and eaten in the hand. The Costa Rican equivalent of a taco, filled with picadillo, chorizo or beans and offered at any gathering.
How long does Gallos take to make?
Gallos takes 30 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 gallos. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Gallos?
Yes, within limits. A mild brown sauce, if Salsa Lizano is unavailable. Shop-bought maize tortillas, warmed on a dry pan.
What is the most important thing to get right in Gallos?
Stir the chopped coriander through at the very end, off the heat. Taste it and adjust the salt, since potato absorbs a great deal of it. Now the tortillas, which must be warmed properly rather than served cold.
