Torta Compuesta del Istmo de Tehuantepec

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4-quart pot for simmering the beef
• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for toasting chiles and charring tomatoes
• •Wide skillet for seasoning the shredded beef
• •High-powered blender for the salsa
• •Large glass or ceramic bowl for the curtido
• •Bean masher or sturdy wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Simmer the beef

   Place the beef in a heavy pot and cover with cold water by two inches. Add the quartered onion, the four unpeeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, oregano, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Skim the gray foam that rises in the first ten minutes. Reduce the heat until you see lazy bubbles every few seconds. Cover partially and cook for one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes, until the beef shreds easily with two forks. Do not boil it. Boiling toughens the fibers. Pull the meat out and reserve at least one cup of the broth for later. The broth goes into your salsa and into your beans if you need it.

   Chuck gives you richness from the fat marbling. Brisket gives you cleaner shreds. Either works. What does not work is a lean cut like round or sirloin. You need connective tissue to break down or the meat dries out.
2. 2

   Roast tomatoes and shred the beef

   While the beef simmers, char the Roma tomatoes on a dry comal or under the broiler until the skins blister and blacken in spots and the flesh softens. Set them aside. When the beef is done and cool enough to handle, shred it into long, rough strips with two forks. Don't mince it. You want pieces with texture, not a paste.

3. 3

   Season the shredded beef

   Melt two tablespoons of lard in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Crush the charred tomatoes by hand into the hot fat. They will sputter. Let them cook down for three to four minutes until the moisture evaporates and the tomato darkens. Add the shredded beef and toss it through the tomato and lard until every strand is coated. Season with salt to taste. The beef should be savory and slightly rich from the manteca, not dry. La manteca es el sabor. Set aside.

4. 4

   Make the curtido

   Combine the vinegar, water, oregano, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Place the shredded cabbage, carrot matchsticks, sliced onion, and jalapeño rounds in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Toss with tongs. Press the vegetables down so the liquid covers as much as possible. Let the curtido sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes, tossing once or twice. It will soften and turn sharp and slightly sweet. This is the backbone of the torta. Without it, you have a sandwich. With it, you have a torta compuesta.

   If you can find sugarcane vinegar (vinagre de cana), use it. It is what the Istmo vendors use and it has a rounder, less harsh acidity than white distilled vinegar. A Mexican grocery or Latin market is your best chance.
5. 5

   Build the salsa de pasilla oaxaqueño

   Toast the dried chile pasilla oaxaqueño on a dry comal over medium heat, about 20 seconds per side. They are thin and smoky and they burn fast, so do not walk away. The moment the skin puffs and you smell smoke, pull them off. Soak in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain. Transfer to a blender with the two peeled garlic cloves, a quarter cup of vinegar, a quarter cup of the reserved beef broth, and half a teaspoon of salt. Blend until smooth. The salsa should be dark, smoky, and sharp with vinegar. Taste it. It should taste like the Isthmus: direct, acidic, unapologetic. Adjust salt if needed.

   Chile pasilla oaxaqueño is not the same as the pasilla (chile negro) you find in the rest of Mexico. It is a smoke-dried chile unique to Oaxaca, with a deep, tobacco-like smokiness closer to chipotle than to pasilla negro. If you cannot find it, a mix of chipotle meco and a small piece of pasilla negro will approximate the profile, but know what you are missing.
6. 6

   Prepare the beans

   If your black beans are not already refried, melt two tablespoons of lard in a skillet over medium heat. Add the cooked black beans and a splash of the reserved broth. Mash with a bean masher or the back of a wooden spoon until you have a thick, spreadable paste. It should hold its shape on a spoon, not run off. Season with salt. Frijoles negros refritos in manteca: this is what goes on the bread first, and it is what keeps the bread from going soggy under the weight of everything else.

7. 7

   Toast the bread

   Split each bolillo lengthwise without cutting all the way through. Open it like a book. If you have a plancha or a comal, press the cut sides down for a minute until they are golden and slightly crisp. This is not optional. A soft bolillo will collapse under the curtido and the beef. You need that crust to hold the torta together. If your bolillos are small, use the longest teleras you can find. The Istmo version is generous. It is not a dainty sandwich.

8. 8

   Assemble the torta compuesta

   Spread a thick layer of refried black beans on both cut sides of the bread. On the bottom half, lay the shredded beef in an even layer. Spoon the salsa de pasilla oaxaqueño over the beef, as much as you want. Pile a generous handful of curtido on top, letting the vinegar drip into the meat. Lay strips of quesillo over the curtido. Fan slices of avocado across the cheese. Close the torta and press it gently, just enough to compact the layers without crushing them. Cut in half on the diagonal if you want, or hand it over whole. Asi se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •The curtido improves with time. Make it the night before and refrigerate it. By morning the cabbage is tender, the vinegar has mellowed, and the jalapeño heat has spread evenly through the brine. A fresh curtido is sharp. An overnight curtido is balanced.
• •Quesillo is Oaxacan string cheese, not mozzarella. They look similar but quesillo has a saltier, tangier flavor and a pull that mozzarella cannot match. If you are outside Mexico, look for it at a Mexican grocery under the name queso Oaxaca. If that fails, a low-moisture mozzarella is the closest compromise, but it is still a compromise.
• •The salsa is vinegar-based, not tomato-based. This is what makes the torta Istmeña and not just any torta. The acid from the salsa and the acid from the curtido work together. If you swap in a salsa roja or a salsa verde, you have changed the dish into something from another region. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
• •Ask the women at the market: preguntale a las senoras del mercado. In Juchitán they use sugarcane vinegar, a longer bolillo they bake locally, and sometimes they add a smear of asiento, the dark sediment left at the bottom of the lard pot. If you render your own lard, save that sediment. It tastes like concentrated pork and smoke.

Advance Preparation

• •The beef can be simmered and shredded one day ahead. Store the shredded meat in a cup of its own broth, refrigerated. Reheat in a skillet with the tomato and lard on assembly day.
• •The curtido can and should be made at least four hours ahead, and it keeps refrigerated for up to five days. It only gets better.
• •The salsa de pasilla oaxaqueño keeps refrigerated for up to one week. The vinegar acts as a preservative.
• •Do not toast or split the bolillos until you are ready to assemble. Stale, cold bread defeats the purpose of the crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)