El Rancheros:
Food Makes the World Go 'Round, Part 4
This article is all about a hidden gem in Tulsa: El Rancheros food truck.
The owner and chef, Rafael Molina, moved here from Southern California in 2000. Rafael used to love cooking tamales with his mom. He learned a type of authentic Mexican food from Mexican restaurants in Southern Cali. He came to Oklahoma to branch out and seek new opportunities. Rafael owned a small trailer truck before upgrading to the truck he has now, which is located on the corner of 41st and Garnett. He’s been in business for fifteen years. Rafael told us that he gets his ingredients from a locally owned grocery store.
My troop and I went to El Rancheros and ate some of the food and some drinks. They serve drinks like Coca-cola and Jarritos, fruit-flavored Mexican sodas. We had the mango flavor, and it was really good.
I had a steak quesadilla, Madison got chicken and fries, and Becky had steak (asada) with lettuce tacos. They even have tongue (lengua) there.
Becky’s steak tacos
Mexican quesadillas (pronounced kāsəˈdēyə) are cooked on a comal (pronounced kōˈmäl), which is either a flat slab of sandstone used as a griddle or an earthenware griddle. They are also usually filled with Oaxaca (wäˈhäkə,) cheese, which is a stringy type of cheese.
My quesadilla was cut into fours with cheese and steak in it. It was served with salsa, a grilled jalapeño, sour cream, and a radish.
The tortilla was crunchy, the steak beautifully cooked, and the cheese melty. It was amazing! Here’s how to make your own:
Steak Quesadilla from El Rancheros
- Grab a steak, and flavor it to your liking.
- Grill it, and chop it up finely.
- Put a 10-inch flour tortilla on a well-oiled pan with low heat.
- Put the steak in the tortilla and add some shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
- Turn the flame up to medium and fold the tortilla in half. Flip it occasionally. Make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Once the tortilla is nice and crunchy, take it out and make sure cheese is melted through. Put it on a plate
- Serve it with sour cream or salsa if you want.
Voilà! A lovely steak quesadilla is born.
Support Local
COVID-19 has hit small businesses, and especially food trucks, hard, as it makes it difficult to get people to go out and get the food. Food trucks and locally-owned businesses help build a sense of community and togetherness. However, people who don’t want to go outside may choose to order delivery from big restaurant chains, even when local businesses offer delivery as well. They forget about the small, locally-owned places and people who own these establishments. So it’s important to support these businesses and spread the word about them.
Our guest blog series is coming to an end. However, please continue to follow us on our tasty travels on our own blog website, www.foodmakestheworldgoround-2.weebly.com.
About Me:
Hello, my name is Kaylee. I’ve been a Girl Scout going on six years. In my free time I like to play video games like Skyrim, Fallout, Stardew Valley, Undertale, etc., mostly on old consoles. I have a Wii, a gamecube, a nintendo 3DS XL, a Laptop, and my favorite is my Xbox 360. I also have a dog, Tank. He’s a five-year-old white lab mix. I am an aspiring baker and want to own my own Cafe/bakery when I’m older.
