Tortas ahogadas – pork rolls drowned in tomato and chilli sauce
Crusty rolls (birote, from Guadalajara) filled with carnitas – slow-cooked, fried pork – and ‘drowned’ in a thin tomato sauce and, for those who like it, a fiery chile de árbol sauce, with red onion in lime. Guadalajara's signature street food. The carnitas are made at home here, though in Mexico they're often bought by the kilo.
- 1 h 58Time
- 58 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 49 gprotein per portion
- 690kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 800 gPork shoulder, in 5 cm chunks
- 3 tbspLard
- ≈ 250 mlWater, for the pork
- to tasteSalt
- 6Tomatoes
- ½Yellow onion
- 3 clovesGarlic
- 1 tspMexican oregano
- ≈ 500 mlWater, for the tomato sauce
- 15Chiles de árbol
- 60 mlVinegar
- 1 mlCumin
- 4Crusty white rolls, crusty
- 200 gRefried beans (optional)
On the side
- 1Red onion
- 3Limes
Method
- Put the pork in a heavy pot with the lard, water and some salt and bring to the boil.
- Cover and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pork is very tender.
- Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce: simmer the tomatoes with the onion and a garlic clove in the water for 10 minutes. Blend everything with its cooking water, half the oregano and some salt, then simmer for 5 minutes more. The sauce should be thin.
- Make the hot sauce: simmer the chillies in a little water for 10 minutes. Blend them with the vinegar, the other two garlic cloves, the cumin, the rest of the oregano and some salt, then sieve. It is very hot.
- Slice the red onion thinly and mix it with the lime juice and a little salt.
- Uncover, turn up the heat and let the liquid boil away, about 20 minutes.
- Once only the fat is left, fry the pork in it for 10 minutes, turning, until golden. Lift it out, drain and chop it.
- Split the rolls lengthways without cutting all the way through, spread with a little refried beans and fill with the pork.
- Reheat the tomato sauce. Put each torta in a shallow bowl, drown it in tomato sauce and add hot sauce to taste. Top with the onion.
