The Mexicans
are very proud of their tortas, which sounds like a euphemism but isn’t; I
refer to their celebration of this gut-busting sandwich. Every year they pay
homage by holding a festival in Mexico City; such dedication to the sandwich
should be admired.
It is possible that the first torta was eaten during
the French occupation, when Mexicans took inspiration from the baguette and
used a similar recipe to create telera and bolillo rolls. They’re stuffed with
different combinations of ingredients depending on the region ,
but whatever your preference, the fillings absolutely must be many in number.
Layer and garnish to your heart’s content. Buen provecho!
Makes 2
INGREDIENTS
2 cooking chorizo sausages
2 tomatoes, diced
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 lime
1 tsp chipotle flakes, or 1 chipotle
chili, finely chopped, or 1 fresh red chili, finely chopped
About 1 heaped tbsp roughly chopped
fresh cilantro (coriander)
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 avocado
2 Mexican rolls
such as bolillo or telera, or 2 lengths of soft-ish white baguette, or 2
ciabatta rolls(hardly authentic, the latter, but sturdy enough to contain all
that filling)
2 tbsp canned refried beans
Set a frying pan or ridged griddle pan over a
medium-high heat. Split the chorizo sausages in half lengthwise, place them in
the dry pan, cut-side down, and cook until crisp and beginning to char. Flip
them over and cook the other side.
Meanwhile, make a tomato salsa by mixing the
diced tomato and red onion with the juice of ½ a lime, the chipotle chili, and
cilantro (coriander). Season with salt and pepper. Halve, pit (stone), and peel
the avocado. In a separate bowl, mash the avocado and mix it with a squeeze of
lime juice.
Cut the rolls in half and lightly toast them.
Dip the cut side of each roll into the chorizo pan, to coat with some of the
chorizo fat that has leached out during cooking. Spread one half of each roll
with a layer of mashed avocado, then add the chorizo sausages. Top with the
tomato salsa. Spread the other half of each roll with the refried beans and use
them to top the sandwiches. Serve immediately.
5 WAYS TO TART UP YOUR TORTA:
•
Add cooked chicken or, better still, smoked chicken.
•
Add a crumbly white cheese, such as feta cheese or queso
fresco, if you can find it.
•
Substitute the chorizo sausages for 2 sirloin steaks (each
about 4½oz/125g).
•
Add a fried egg for a breakfast torta.
Blend
a couple of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce and use as a spread in place of the
tomato salsa.
