Pork Tenderloin Flautas

Last week I had an event at my favorite "special occasion" restaurant, Javier's. Their food is incredible and it's very man-den, authentic old Mexico City dining. They have the most incredible "green sauce" that you eat with butter. Yes, butter. And the Filet Cantinflas (chihuahua cheese stuffed filet of beef) with a margarita will put you over the moon. Point of that was all to say that while I was there for this happy hour, they were serving these amazing little flauta appetizers that I just did not get enough of. I saw this recipe from a fellow blogger and thought to myself that I should try this - and here we are.

This was really quick and easy to make, not a lot of fuss or preparation. I will tell you that I am not a very good tortilla roller, I get frustrated when I try to roll them smaller and they just won't do it. I had this experience with the flautas, but in the end they tasted great and I didn't care that they happened to be the sized of enchiladas.

Grocery Store:

• 1 pork tenderloin, diced
  
• 1 yellow sweet onion
• Olive oil
• Tony's Creole Seasoning
• Lawry's Seasoning Salt
  
• Paprika
• Chili Powder
• Garlic Salt
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Fresh cilantro
  
• Flour Tortillas
• Monterrey Jack cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spray your casserole dish with no stick spray.

Slice up some onion rings and throw them in a heated skillet with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Season with Lawry's and Tony's creole for added flavor.


Let cook for about 8 minutes on low-medium heat to caramelize. I cooked the onions in two rounds because I wanted them to caramelize well without the additional onions in the pan.


While your onions cook, dice up your pork tenderloin into small chunks then put them in a mixing bowl.


I went by the 3-5 shake rule on the rest of the spices, depending what I liked the most. I started with 4 shakes of Paprika, 5 shakes of chili powder, 5 shakes garlic salt, 4 shakes cumin and 3 shakes oregano. I chopped up fresh cilantro and added 2 pinches. Mix it all up.


Once the onions are done, set on a plate and keep warm sitting in the microwave until ready to use. Adding a dab of olive oil to the pan, turn the heat to medium and add the pork and spice mix. Cover the skillet with a top and let sizzle on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to flip the meat and break it up.


Take your tortillas, sprinkle the cheese down the center. Next, place the onions over top. Followed by the pork.


Roll them as tight as you can and place seam side down in your casserole dish. Follow suit until you've reached maximum capacity in your dish.


Pop in the oven for 10 minutes, then take out, flip and repeat for another 10 minutes. You want these suckers to be browned and crisp so after cooking 10 minutes on either side, take them out and see if they are ready. If not, put them back in for another 5 minutes, max - you don't want them to be too dry. Once finishes, take them out and let cool for about 2 minutes. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, refried beans, whatever your heart desires!