This was a midweek treat, but not something I made; I cheated and purchased pork corn tacos. After seeing how they were made, I don’t plan on ever making them. In Toughkenamon, there is a market called Deanne’s. On Wednesday, I’ve gotten into the routine of going to a local produce market to pick up fresh veggies for the weekend cooking experience. When I drive by Deannes, there are tents in a full parking lot, with long lines of locals. So something must be good. I’ve been intrigued and wanting to try it. Tonight, I blame MyLisa. She was talking about having a craving for arepas. Living in an area with lots of good Mexican food, I wondered if I could find something similar here. Instead of arepas I found gorditas, at Deannes. Gorditas are stuffed pockets of corn dough, like extra-thick tortillas with a filling, so a Mexican version of an arepa.

Now if your familiar with the arepa or gordita you’ll notice that my picture is of a taco. I was so excited to try something new, since I’ve never had a gordita before. But they weren’t ready. It was too early. The choices were quesadillas, or tacos. For $7.50, I ordered 3 Tacos Al Pastor.

For the tacos, the thin corn tortillas are individually handmade, and grilled on a dry griddle to form small yummy soft taco. I watched a woman making big corn tortillas for the quesadillas. One at a time. The pork is simple yet complex — think chunky pork marinated in Guajillo chiles, achiote, brown sugar, vinegar, cumin, oregano and citrus juice. It’s stacked tightly and grilled slowly on a vertical spit, with the fresh juice of a pineapple dribbling down its layers and into its crevices where the sugars intensify and char. Wow.

So after putting the pork on two tortillas, they then add toppings of your choice onions, cilantro, and pico de gallo. In the container they add radish slices, a grilled onion, grilled pepper lime slices, and a side of either red or green hot sauce.

Let’s just say it was a yummy treat for Wednesday night, and next time I’ll tell you about the gordita’s.

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