At Yo’on Ixim, the women make these simple but substantial disks using masa pressed slightly thicker than tortillas, griddled, and pinched around the edges to make a place for the salsa and cheese to settle. You can top them with anything else you like—beans, fried pork skins, or a vegetable. If you can’t find fresh chipilín (a pungent leafy green), then cilantro, watercress, or even radish leaves make a similar if untraditional substitute.
In the Mexican city of Puebla, indigenous women gather to cook and share food traditions
What You Will Need
Blue Corn Pellizcadas with Salsa and Quesco Fresco
At Yo’on Ixim, the women make these simple but substantial disks using masa pressed slightly thicker than tortillas, griddled, and pinched around the edges to make a place for the salsa and cheese to settle. You can top them with anything else you like—beans, fried pork skins, or a vegetable. If you can’t find fresh chipilín (a pungent leafy green), then cilantro, watercress, or even radish leaves make a similar if untraditional substitute.
Ingredients
- 2 cups prepared blue corn masa
- 1 cup Charred Tomato and Chile Salsa, or use store-bought
- 1⁄2 cup (4 oz.) crumbled queso fresco Coarsely torn fresh chipilín, cilantro, watercress, or radish leaves, for serving
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Divide the masa into 8 equal balls (about 2 ounces each). Using your hands, press and shape each into a 4-inch-wide round about twice the thickness of a tortilla.
- Using a wide spatula, lift the tortillas out of the pan and flip them over onto the plate so the toasted side is facing up. Pinch the tortillas all around the edges to form a ridge like a pie crust; pinch some small ridges atop the center of the masa as well to form little ponds to hold the salsa. Fill each pellizcada with 2 tablespoons of salsa, then sprinkle each evenly with 1 tablespoon of queso fresco.
- Return the pellizcadas to the griddle or pan in batches to heat thoroughly and soften the cheese slightly. Remove to a plate, finish each with some of the coarsely torn greens and a squeeze of lime juice, and serve immediately.