Torta de Cecina Enchilada con Chicharrón Desmenuzado

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy 12-inch skillet
• •High-powered blender
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan (for curing the cecina)
• •Small heavy skillet for refried beans
• •Bean masher or sturdy wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the chiles for the paste

   Heat a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium. Toast the chile ancho and chile pasilla oaxaqueno separately, pressing them flat against the comal with a spatula for about 20 seconds per side. They should puff, darken slightly, and release a smoky, earthy smell that fills the room. The pasilla oaxaqueno is already smoky from its drying process, so it goes fast. Do not let them blacken. Burned chile makes a bitter paste and there is no way to undo it.

   Chile pasilla oaxaqueno is smoke-dried, unlike the pasilla negro from other states which is sun-dried. That smoke is what gives Oaxacan cecina its particular character. If you cannot find it, pasilla negro will work, but you are losing the smoke.
2. 2

   Soak and blend the chile paste

   Place the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot tap water. Not boiling. Let them sit for 15 minutes until soft and pliable. Drain the chiles and transfer to a blender with the garlic, salt, vinegar, and tablespoon of water. Blend until you have a thick, smooth paste with the consistency of tomato paste. It should be deep brick red, almost brown. Scrape down the sides and blend again. The paste needs to be smooth enough to spread thin across the pork without leaving chunks.

3. 3

   Rub and cure the cecina

   Lay the thin pork slices out on a clean surface. Using your hands or the back of a spoon, spread the chile paste evenly across both sides of every slice. You want a thin, even coat, not a thick layer. The paste should cling to the meat like paint. Lay the rubbed slices in a single layer on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Refrigerate uncovered for at least four hours, and overnight is better. The surface should feel dry and tacky to the touch when it's ready. That tackiness is the cure working and the chiles bonding with the pork.

   In Oaxaca, the cecina is hung on lines in the open air of the Valles Centrales where the dry climate does the work. Your refrigerator, uncovered, does the same thing. The circulating cold air pulls moisture from the surface.
4. 4

   Fry the black beans

   Heat 2 tablespoons of asiento in a small heavy skillet over medium heat. When it melts and the dark fat begins to shimmer, add the black beans with their broth. Mash with a bean masher or the back of a wooden spoon, working them against the bottom of the skillet until you have a thick, spreadable paste. The consistency should hold its shape on a spoon but still be wet enough to spread across bread without tearing it. Season with salt. Keep warm over the lowest heat while you grill the cecina.

   Asiento in the beans makes these Oaxacan frijoles refritos, not just refried beans. If you are using manteca de cerdo instead, the beans will be good. They will not be the same. The dark, caramelized depth of asiento is something manteca alone cannot replicate.
5. 5

   Grill the cecina enchilada

   Get your comal or a cast iron skillet screaming hot over high heat. No oil. The chile paste and the pork fat are enough. Lay the cecina slices flat on the comal and cook for about 60 to 90 seconds per side. The chile crust will darken and blister at the edges, and the thin meat will cook through fast. Watch it. This is not a piece of meat you can walk away from. Thin pork on high heat goes from done to leather in thirty seconds. Pull each slice as soon as you see the edges curl and the surface has charred patches against the red. Roughly chop or fold the grilled cecina into pieces that will fit inside a bolillo.

6. 6

   Toast and spread the bolillos

   Split the bolillos lengthwise if they are not already split. Place them cut-side down on the comal over medium heat for about a minute, until the bread is golden and has a slight crunch on the surface but is still soft inside. While the bread is warm, spread a generous half-tablespoon of asiento across the cut surface of each half. Both halves. The asiento melts into the warm bread and the bolillo absorbs it like a sponge. This is the base layer and it is not optional. Without asiento, you are building on the wrong foundation.

7. 7

   Build the tortas

   Work on the bottom half of each bolillo first. Spread a thick layer of the refried black beans across the asiento. Lay the chopped or folded cecina enchilada on the beans while the meat is still hot. Drape the pulled quesillo strips over the cecina so the warmth of the meat softens the cheese. Fan the avocado slices over the quesillo. Now take your chicharron and crush it over the open torta with both hands, letting the jagged shards fall where they fall. Desmenuzado. Spoon salsa over the chicharron if you want heat, or serve it on the side. Press the top half of the bolillo down, give it one firm press with your palm, and wrap it in papel estraza if you want to eat it the way they do in the mercado. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •If you live near a Mexican market that carries Oaxacan products, buy the cecina enchilada already prepared. The women at those stalls have been rubbing pork with chile paste longer than most of us have been cooking. Making it at home is worth learning, but there is no shame in buying from someone who does it every day. That is how it works in Oaxaca.
• •Asiento is not easy to find outside of Oaxaca. Ask at Oaxacan restaurants, Oaxacan specialty shops, or online vendors who ship Mexican pantry goods. If you truly cannot find it, melt manteca de cerdo and cook it over low heat until the solids at the bottom darken and the fat takes on a toasty, almost caramelized smell. Strain out the dark bits. Use that darkened fat as your spread. It's a compromise, not the real thing, but it gets closer than plain lard.
• •The quesillo must be Oaxacan string cheese, pulled into strips by hand. Do not substitute mozzarella and call it the same. Mozzarella melts differently, tastes differently, and has none of the slight tang that quesillo carries. If you cannot find quesillo, a young, mild Chihuahua cheese is a closer second choice than anything Italian.
• •Buy your chicharron from a vendor who fries it fresh, not from a bag of puffed pork rinds at the supermarket. Fresh chicharron has weight, crunch, and flavor. The bagged kind is air and salt. Preguntale a las senoras del mercado. They will point you in the right direction.

Advance Preparation

• •The cecina enchilada must be rubbed with the chile paste and cured uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, and overnight is better. This step is the recipe. Do not skip the curing or the meat will taste like pork with sauce on it instead of cecina.
• •The chile paste can be made up to three days ahead and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It will darken slightly, which is fine.
• •The black beans can be cooked and refried up to two days ahead. Reheat gently in a small skillet with a splash of water to loosen them before spreading.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 470g)