Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Recipe : Authentic Mexican Torta - Tortas Ahogadas

Ingredients
16 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
9 pounds boneless pork butt
4 dried chipotle chili peppers
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 onions, chopped
20 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cup water
5 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon white sugar
salt, to taste
12 Mexican bolillo rolls, lightly toasted, cut in half lengthwise
2 pickled jalapeno peppers, sliced

Directions
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 160 degrees F (70 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.

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