Soft Tostadas with Shredded Beef | Picaditas con Carne Deshebrada
by Marisol (Yoli) Dorantes (my mother’s good friend)
Ingredients (picaditas):
2 pounds flank steak or brisket
½ medium onion
Salt to taste
2 dozen mini (4-inch) corn tortillas
¼ cup oil for frying tortillas
Green Salsa for Picaditas and Red Salsa for Picaditas
1 ½ cups beef broth divided
Ingredients (garnish):
1 cup queso fresco crumbled
1 cup crema Mexicana (table cream or crème fraîche)
Preparation:
- Boil meat in large pot with salt and ½ onion for 4 hours on low-medium flame. Alternatively, you can cook for 8 hours on low crockpot setting. Once cooked, remove meat and set aside. Reserve beef broth for salsas.
- Prepare red and green salsas while meat is cooling. See preparation for salsas below.
- Once meat is cool, shred thinly. Half of the meat will be used in red salsa, and the other half in the green salsa.
- Add half of the shredded meat to the red salsa and the other half to the green salsa in separate pots.
- Mix in ¾ cup beef broth to Green Salsa for Picaditas and Red Salsa for Picaditas and sauté for 20 minutes on low-medium heat.
- Heat oil on medium-high heat. Once hot, briefly fry tortillas for about 15 seconds on each side. They should still be somewhat soft, not crispy. Drain on paper towels.
- Arrange tortillas on a large, flat platter in one layer. Top with beef-salsa mixtures alternating between red and green. Drizzle with crema and sprinkle with crumbled cheese. Serve immediately.
