Tortas Ahogadas Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
• Mix the 16 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of minced oregano, 2 teaspoons of salt, and pepper in a bowl. Rub garlic mixture over the pork butt, and place pork in a shallow roasting pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue roasting until pork is tender and no longer pink in the center, about 2 hours and 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Cover the meat with two layers of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 20 minutes before rough chopping or shredding it. Reserve pan drippings.
• Place the chipotle peppers in a bowl, and cover with hot water. Allow peppers to soak until softened, about 3 minutes; drain. Set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in 8 cloves of minced garlic and the chopped onions; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Roma tomatoes, 1 cup of water, chipotle chili peppers, 5 teaspoons of oregano, sugar, and salt to taste. Add the reserved pan drippings. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Pour the chipotle sauce into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the sauce moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the sauce right in the skillet. Strain the sauce through a sieve.
• To serve: Hollow out the bottom half of each bolillo to make a shallow bowl for the chopped pork. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the chipotle sauce over the bottom of each roll, then arrange the chopped pork over the sauce. Top each sandwich with a couple slices of pickled jalapeno, followed by the top half of the roll. Pour about 1/4 cup of additional chipotle sauce over the entire sandwich.

Steps:

• For the tomato salsa, boil tomatoes. In a blender, puree with the garlic and water. Add the oregano and salt to taste.
• For the spicy sauce, boil the arbol chiles. In a blender, puree with the garlic, crackers, hot sauce and water. Strain.
• For the onions, add the vinegar, lime juice, and water. Let it marinade for 15 minutes. Season with salt.
• To assemble, cut the bolillos in half. Spread the refried beans on both sides. Add the meat. Pour the tomato sauce over it. Add the desired amount of spicy sauce. Top off with the marinated onions.

Steps:

• Devein the chiles and soak in hot water for 30 minutes.
• Drain the chiles, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a saucepan, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the sauce to remove any large particles. Season the sauce with the salt, to finish.
• On a hot griddle, with the olive oil, saute the pork until fully cooked. Spread the refried beans on one side of the sub roll. Lay the pork on top of the refried beans, and top with the tomatoes, avocados, and onion. Sprinkle the sandwich with oregano and finish with a portion of the sauce.

Steps:

• Make the salsa: Combine the chiles, onion, garlic and tomatoes with 1 cup water and a generous pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Set over medium-low heat and simmer until the chiles are rehydrated and the other ingredients have softened, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer to a blender or food processor along with the apple cider vinegar (reserve the saucepan) and blend until completely smooth. Return salsa to the saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes to marry all the flavors. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
• Meanwhile, prepare the onion: Toss the onion with the lemon juice, red-pepper flakes and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Let stand for at least 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the tortas: Combine the beans, red-pepper flakes, cumin, 1 cup water and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Once hot, carefully pour the mixture into the same blender or food processor used for the salsa (no need to wash in between uses) and blend until smooth.
• Heat a broiler to medium with a rack placed 6 inches from the heat source. To warm and crisp the bread, place the bread halves on a baking sheet cut sides down and broil until warmed through and slightly crusty on the outside, 2 to 3 minutes. Assemble the dish by spreading a thick layer of salsa on each of 4 serving dishes. Place the bottom pieces of bread on the salsa cut sides up and divide the beans, onion and bread tops among them. Ladle the remaining salsa over the sandwiches until they're completely soaked. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and lemon wedges, and serve.

Steps:

• Place all tomato sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook until the tomatoes and onions are soft.
• Allow to cool, place in blender and puree.
• Strain the puree and set aside.
• Lightly roast the arbol chiles on a dry griddle, just to the point of fragrance. (Do not allow them to char, as this results in a bitter flavor).
• Remove the stem and seeds from the chilies.
• Place the chiles and remaining chili sauce ingredients in a saucepan; cook until the chilies have softened, remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Transfer sauce ingredients to a blender, puree and strain; set aside.
• Cook the meat in water to cover with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, oregano and salt to taste.
• When cooked through, remove from cooking liquid and allow to cool.
• Shred the meat with two forks, or slice thinly if preferred.
• Remove the soft center from the rolls, place on plates, and divide the meat among the rolls.
• Bathe each one with tomato sauce (the tortas are easier to eat if the top half is left "dry")
• Serve torta on a plate with a lip to prevent messy dripping.

Steps:

• Make the carnitas: Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C).
• In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin.
• Set the pork butt on a rimmed baking sheet and pat try with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture over the pork butt to cover completely.
• Cut the oranges in half and juice. Set the juice aside.
• Spread the orange rinds, garlic, and onion in an even layer on the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot. Place the pork butt on top and pour the orange juice over. Cover the pot with a lid or 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil and cook in the oven until the pork is tender and can be shredded with a fork, about 8 hours.
• Make the tomato salsa: Heat the canola oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic and sauté until the onion begins to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, and margarine and continue cooking until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend on medium-high speed until completely smooth.
• Pour the salsa back into the pan and cook over medium-low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Rinse out the blender basin.
• Make the red onion escabeche: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, salt, and oregano. Add the onion and toss to coat. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
• Make the spicy salsa: In a large pan over medium-high heat, toast the Japones chiles until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove the chiles from the pan and set aside.
• Heat the canola oil in the same pan over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic and sauté until the onion begins to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Add the salt and cumin and continue cooking until the tomatoes are tender, about 8 minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to the blender. Add the toasted chiles and distilled white vinegar and blend on medium-high speed until smooth.
• Assemble the tortas: Use a fork to shred the carnitas.
• Cut the birotes down the middle, leaving one long side intact, like a hot dog bun. Fill the rolls with carnitas and pour the tomato salsa on top. Serve with the spicy salsa, escabeche, and lime wedges.
• Enjoy!