Chicken And Pork Tortilla Tart

I know Cinco de Mayo has already come and gone, and this post is a couple of days late, but better late than never, right?! I love creating things that are out of the ordinary, especially for the “ethnic” holidays we all love to celebrate. For instance, for St. Paddy’s Day, I rarely make corned beef and cabbage, but will instead make other traditional Irish foods. The same is true for Cinco de Mayo.

I LOVE Mexican food, and we eat quite a bit of Mexican food. And because we like Mexican food so much, I have quite a few Mexican cookbooks. I went through my collection and came up with something different yet still muy delicioso for the day. I also had some leftover shredded chicken and pork that I wanted to use up, so I came up with the perfect idea. I made a tortilla tart, using up both my chicken and pork, as well as many Mexican style vegetables. !Que Bueno! Margaritas were definitely the drink of the day too.

It came out like a layered quesadilla. I served it with arroz verde, or “green” rice made with cilantro, green onions and jalapenos.

Chicken and Pork Tortilla Tart

olive oil and/or lime olive oil for cooking

2 1/2 cups corn, thawed

1 red pepper, sliced into thin matchsticks

1 large tomato, diced

1/4 cup green onions, sliced thin

2-3 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped

1 TBSP lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

1-2 jalapenos, diced fine

2 TBSP garlic, divided

1 onion, diced fine

2 tsp cumin, divided

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup chicken broth

1-2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1-2 cups shredded cooked pork

4 10-inch tortillas

1 cup Mexican blend cheese or jalapeno jack, shredded

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese or crumbled Cotija cheese

Combine the peppers, onions, jalapeno, corn and 1/2 of the garlic together and separate.

Combine the tomatoes, green onions and cilantro together and set aside, leaving some cilantro for the topping.

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 205*C.

Combine the chicken and the pork.

Cook the peppers and other vegetables in the hot olive oil and lime olive oil for about 5-7 minutes, or until tender.

Add the tomatoes and green onions and combine well. Then add the lime juice and the seasonings. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. I used a very large yellow heirloom tomato. Any kind of tomatoes are fine.

While the vegetables are cooking, in a saucepan, combine the black beans with the remaining garlic, remaining cumin, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the broth has evaporated.

With a masher, mash the beans.

Lay a tortilla on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread 1/2 the beans evenly over the bottom. Add a layer of cheese, then add 1/2 of the meat and spread evenly over the cheese.

Add another tortilla on top and add a layer of vegetables, spreading them evenly over the top of the tortilla.

Add another tortilla and repeat. Top with more cheese.

Place in the oven to bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until all the cheese is melted. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, top with cotija cheese, cilantro, and/or sour cream, then cut it into slices and desfruitas!

When it is ready, pick it up and eat it like you would a piece of pizza. It’s a Mexican tart that is like a combination of a quesadilla and pizza – a quesapizza maybe? Whatever you want to call it, call it delicious! I promise, this is something a little different, but you are going to love it. It just might become a new favorite too. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.