Tlayuda Mixteca con Cecina y Maíz Criollo

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large cast iron comal or griddle (at least 12 inches)
• •Tortilla press or flat heavy surface for pressing
• •Molcajete or blender for the salsa de árbol
• •Large cast iron skillet for the cecina
• •Bean masher or wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the salsa de árbol

   Heat a dry comal or cast iron skillet over medium. Toast the six chile de árbol and the two chile guajillo, pressing them flat with a spatula, about 20 to 30 seconds per side. The árbol will darken and blister fast. The guajillo takes a few seconds longer because it is thicker. The moment you smell them, pull them off. Drop the toasted chiles and the garlic clove into a small pot with the quarter cup of water. Bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes until everything softens. Transfer to a blender or molcajete with the vinegar and salt. Blend or grind to a rough, pourable salsa. It should have texture, not be perfectly smooth. Taste it. The árbol brings the heat and the guajillo brings depth and color. Adjust salt. Set it aside.

   Chile de árbol burns in seconds. If it goes black, throw it away and start with a new one. A burned árbol turns the entire salsa acrid and there is no hiding it.
2. 2

   Prepare the black bean paste

   Put the cup of cooked black beans and two tablespoons of their broth into a skillet over medium heat. Mash them with the back of a wooden spoon or a bean masher until you have a thick, rough paste. Not a puree, not whole beans. A paste that holds its shape when you spread it. If the beans are too dry, add another spoonful of broth. If they are too wet, keep cooking until the paste pulls away from the pan. Season with a pinch of salt. This layer is what holds the tlayuda together. Treat it with respect.

3. 3

   Press and cook the tlayudas

   If using masa harina, combine it with the warm water and salt in a bowl and knead for two minutes until the dough is smooth and does not crack at the edges when pressed. If using fresh masa, add the salt and knead briefly. Divide the masa into four equal balls, each about the size of a large lime. Press each ball in a tortilla press lined with plastic, or between two sheets of plastic on a flat surface, into a round about 10 to 12 inches across. Thinner than a regular tortilla. You want them almost translucent at the edges.

   If you can find fresh nixtamalized masa from a tortilleria, use it. The difference between masa harina and fresh masa is the difference between instant coffee and a cup brewed from whole beans. Masa harina works. Fresh masa transforms.
4. 4

   Dry the tlayudas on the comal

   Heat a large comal or cast iron griddle over medium-low. This is critical: medium-low, not medium, not high. The tlayuda needs to dry out slowly, not cook through fast like a regular tortilla. Lay a pressed round on the dry comal and cook for three to four minutes on the first side without touching it. Flip and cook another three to four minutes. The edges will begin to curl and stiffen. Flip once more and let it go another two to three minutes. The finished tlayuda should be leathery and stiff across most of its surface, lightly charred in spots, but still pliable enough at the center to fold without snapping completely. It is a partially dried tortilla, not a tostada. The women in Nochixtlán dry theirs even longer for transport, but for eating fresh, this stage is right.

   A proper Mixtec tlayuda sounds hollow when you tap it. If it is still soft and floppy, it needs more time. Patience. The slow drying is what gives it the texture that holds up under the toppings without going soggy.
5. 5

   Cook the cecina enchilada

   Heat the lard in a large skillet or on the comal over medium-high. Lay the cecina enchilada pieces flat, working in batches so they are not crowded. Cook for two to three minutes per side. The chile paste on the outside will caramelize and darken. The edges will curl and crisp. The meat should be cooked through but not dried out. Pull it off the heat and chop or tear it into rough, bite-sized strips. The smell of the toasted chile crust on the pork is the smell of every carniceria in the Mixteca. If you have never cooked cecina enchilada before, you will understand immediately why it exists.

6. 6

   Assemble the tlayudas

   Work one tlayuda at a time. Spread a generous tablespoon of asiento across the surface, leaving a small border at the edge. The asiento will soften slightly from the residual warmth of the tlayuda. Over that, spread a quarter of the bean paste in an even layer. Scatter a quarter of the quesillo strips across the beans. Now lay the cecina enchilada strips over the cheese. Return the assembled tlayuda to the comal over medium heat for one to two minutes, just long enough for the cheese to begin to soften and the bottom to crisp a little more. Do not wait for the cheese to fully melt. Quesillo stretches, it does not pool.

   Asiento is not optional. It is the flavor foundation of the tlayuda. If you cannot find asiento, render your own by frying chicharrón or pork skin in lard over low heat until the solids sink and darken, then scoop out the dark residue at the bottom. That is asiento. Clean lard is not a substitute; it does the job of fat but not the job of flavor.
7. 7

   Top and serve

   Pull the tlayuda off the comal and set it on a large plate or a clean wooden board. Top with shredded cabbage, sliced tomato, and avocado. Spoon the salsa de árbol across the top or serve it on the side for each person to add their own. You can serve the tlayuda open-faced and eat it by breaking off pieces, or fold it in half like a giant quesadilla. The Mixteca style is open-faced. The city style folds. Both are correct. Cada estado, su propia cocina. Eat it immediately. A tlayuda that sits loses its crunch, and the crunch is the whole point. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Cecina enchilada is sold at Mexican carnicerias, usually hanging from hooks or laid flat in the display case. It is thin-sliced pork rubbed in a chile paste of ancho and guajillo, salted, and partially dried. Do not confuse it with cecina de res, which is beef and a different preparation. If your carniceria does not carry it, ask. Many will make it on request or point you to a supplier. In the US, carnicerias in areas with Oaxacan communities, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, are your best sources.
• •Asiento is the dark, thick residue left at the bottom of the pot after frying chicharrón in lard. It tastes like concentrated pork with a toasted, slightly bitter edge. In Oaxaca, it is sold by the scoop at the market. Outside Oaxaca, you will likely have to make your own. Fry a pound of pork skin in a pound of lard over low heat for 45 minutes, let the pot cool, and scrape the dark paste from the bottom. That is your asiento. Store it in the refrigerator. La manteca es el sabor, and asiento is the deepest expression of that truth.
• •If you cannot find maíz criollo masa or a tortilleria that nixtamalizes with good corn, masa harina will work. Use Maseca or, better, a brand that specifies nixtamalized corn without preservatives. But know what you are missing. The Mixtec criollo corn has a nuttier, more complex flavor that comes from the variety and the land. A compromise is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •The tlayuda should be large, 10 to 12 inches, and dried on the comal until it is stiff but not completely brittle. If it snaps cleanly like a tostada, you went too far. If it flops like a fresh tortilla, you did not go far enough. The right tlayuda bends with resistance and cracks at the edges. That texture is the signature.

Advance Preparation

• •The salsa de árbol can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated. The flavor concentrates as it sits.
• •The black bean paste can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently in a skillet, adding a splash of water if it has dried out.
• •The tlayudas themselves can be cooked and dried up to two days ahead if stored in a dry place, loosely wrapped in a clean cloth. In Oaxaca, market vendors stack them in petate baskets and they keep for days. Crisp them briefly on a hot comal before assembling.
• •The cecina enchilada should be cooked fresh, just before assembly. It loses its edge texture if it sits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 460g)