Chef notes
This is an easy recipe everyone loves. It's a yummy crowd-pleaser that's great to make in big quantities for a party. Flautas are best served hot out of the pan and with plenty of the dipping sauce. The fresh tortillas will keep in the fridge, as will the cheeses, so this is also something you can make spontaneously.
Technique tip: Folding flautas and securing with toothpick to prevent interior contents spilling out. Room temp tortillas are better/more malleable than cold ones, so bring to room temp before folding.
Swap option: For a vegan option swap cooked, mashed sweet potato for cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh mint leaves
- 3 dried dates, pitted
- 5 serrano chiles, stems removed
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced shallot
- 8 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt
- 8 ounces feta cheese
- 4 ounces ricotta cheese
- 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
- canola oil, for frying
Preparation
For the dipping sauce:
Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree to form a smooth, uniform dipping sauce. Will keep 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
For the flautas:
1.Over medium high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Toss in the shallots and mushrooms, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the oregano, thyme, dill and crushed red pepper, and stir for 3 more minutes. Add a sprinkle of salt and sauté for a few more minutes, until the mushrooms are browned. Remove from heat.
2.In a large bowl, combine the feta and ricotta cheeses with the sautéed shallots and mushrooms, mixing well to form a paste.
3.Lay 1 tortilla flat on a cutting board. Spoon 2 heaping teaspoons of mixture into a line across the tortilla, horizontally, near the side closest to you. Leave about a 1-inch boarder. Roll the nearest end over the mixture and keep rolling until the tortilla is the shape of a flute. Press down gently as you roll to distribute the cheese mixture throughout the inside of the flute. Be careful not to push too hard; you don't want it to seep out the sides. Close the tortilla using a wooden toothpick as a straight pin (not perpendicular, but parallel to the flute) to hold the end of the tortilla shut. Do this with all the tortillas.
4.Place a skillet filled to a depth of 1 inch with canola oil over medium high heat. When the oil gets hot (you can test with a small piece of tortilla, if it bubbles and sizzles, it's ready), turn the heat down to just lower than medium and fry the flautas on each side until golden brown. This should take no more than 1 to 2 minutes total; turn to brown each side every 30 seconds. When done, immediately place the flautas on paper towels to drain excess oil.
5.When cool enough to touch, carefully ease out the toothpicks before serving.
6.Each flauta can be cut in half on an angle before serving, as they are quite filling. Serve with Fresh Mint and Date Chutney.
Excerpted from Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day by Padma Lakshmi. Copyright © 2021. Available from Hachette Go, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
