Recipe by Karen Hursh Graber adapted from Mexico Desconocido’s 101 Recetas Mexicanas www.mexconnect.com
Makes 8 servings
The Tomato Sauce:
3 lbs. roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 lg. white onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 t. dried oregano
1⁄2 c. water Salt, to taste
The Chile Sauce:
1⁄4 lb. arbol chiles 1 c. water
1⁄2 c. white vinegar Salt, to taste
The Tortas:
8 bolillos (French rolls) split in half lengthwise
1-1⁄2 lbs. boneless pork loin or shoulder
1 onion, cut in half
3 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 sprig oregano
Salt, to taste
Place all tomato sauce ingredients in a sauce- pan and cook until tomatoes and onions
are soft. Allow to cool, place in blender and puree. Strain puree and set aside.
Lightly roast arbol chiles on a comal or dry griddle, just to the point of fragrance. Do not let them char, as this results in a bitter flavor. Remove stem and seeds from chiles. Place chiles and remaining chile sauce ingredients in saucepan, cook until chiles have softened, remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer sauce ingredients to a blender, puree and strain. Set aside.
Cook meat in water to cover with onion, garlic, bay leaf, oregano and salt to taste. When cooked through, remove from cooking liquid and allow to cool. Shred meat with two forks, or slice thinly if preferred.
Remove the soft center from rolls, place rolls on plates, and divide meat among rolls by placing some on the bottom half of each roll. Bathe each one with tomato sauce. The tortas are easier to eat if the top half is left “dry.” Each diner can add chile sauce to taste. If possible, do as they do in Jalisco and use a plate with a lip to serve these tortas, to prevent messy dripping.