The tacos are half-moon folded tortillas and stuffed.
The Tacos de papa have a vegetarian filling with spiced potatoes and cheese.
However, they can also be based on squash blossoms, grilled peppers (rajas), or nopales, which are cactus cut into sticks and cooked in a pan.
It is a vegetarian taco, and in the video, you will find another suggestion for a vegan version.
I often hear people mistakenly compare the tortilla to the piadina… but they are not the same recipe, there are significant differences…
Here are the differences:
▶ TORTILLA
A type of unleavened flatbread, made from corn or wheat flour, typical of Mexico.
If made from corn flour, it is gluten-free
It is made from a dough of water and flour, pressed and cooked.
It is not consumed alone but is the base for typical dishes like tacos, quesadillas, and burritos, very often with meat-based fillings.
They vary in size from about 6 to over 30 cm (2.4 to 12 inches), depending on the region of the country and the dish they are intended for.
▶ PIADINA
A typical food product from Romagna, composed of a thin flatbread made from wheat flour, lard or olive oil, baking soda or yeast (after the 1950s), salt, and water, traditionally cooked on a round terracotta slab, after being rolled out with a rolling pin.
The piada, from which the diminutive piadina is derived, is traditionally made at home or bought at characteristic kiosks where piadina makers roll it out and cook it on the spot, selling both plain and stuffed piadas.
It is cut into squares (wedges) which are typically 4, and stuffed with cured meats or squacquerone cheese or grilled sausage or with slices of porchetta.
Originally, the piadina was cooked on a terracotta disc, but over time, terracotta was replaced by metal.
It has a diameter between 15 – 25 cm (6 to 10 inches).
I hope this has clarified things a bit…
On the blog, you can find both recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 20 pieces
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 20 tortillas
- 18 oz potatoes
- 4.5 oz queso fresco (or feta)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 onion
- 3 tomatoes
- to taste salt and pepper
Tools
- 1 Tortillada
Steps
Find the tortilla recipe HERE.
For the filling:
Boil the potatoes
Peel them and transfer them to a bowl.
Mash them with a potato masher until the desired consistency is reached.
Add crumbled cheese, paprika, cumin, pepper, and garlic.
Season with salt.
Place a flat tortilla and fill half of it with about 1 tablespoon of potato mixture.
Fold in half and press down slightly.
Place the tacos on the plates and top with onions and tomatoes.
If you like, you can also garnish with sauce and crumbled cheese.
The comal griddle (Mexican kitchen tool) is what is used in Mexico to cook the tortillas, commonly called here: tortillada.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How to remove rust from the tortillada and also from a cast iron pot?
Soak the cast iron support in a mixture of 50% water and 50% vinegar for about a couple of hours.
With the help of a wire brush (or a metal scourer), remove as much rust as possible.
