Recipe for Torta Ahogada

The Torta Ahogada from Guadalajara

This mexican dish is said to have been invented some 40 years ago, today it is a well appreciated dish from Guadalajara, and that anyone who has lived there has tried at least once. The torta ahogada is a Mexican sandwich dish from the Jalisco state, which is prepared with a hard crust roll, filled with pork and refried beans. It's called ahogada or "drowned", because the cook dips the sandwich in a red sauce, which can be either spicy or mild, and then served in a bowl with about a cup of the red sauce. This mexican recipe is said to be a combination of Spanish cuisine with the Mexican. The Bolillos (bread rolls) found in Guadalajara and used in this mexican recipe are slightly different from what you find in the regular bakery; they are a little harder than usual, so that once dipped it in the sauce they don't become soggy and self-destruct.

Recipe for Torta Ahogada

Ingredients for 3-6 people:

* 2 lb. of boneless pork meat
* 6 Bolillos (oval crusty bread rolls, 6 inches long)
* 1/2 cup chopped Árbol Chiles (put less for less spicy)
* Dry black beans
* 1 Bay Leaf
* 1 pinch of oregano
* 1 pinch of Marjoram
* 1 lb. red tomatoes
* 2 red onions
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1 teaspoon of cumin
* 1 pinch of dried clove powder
* 1 peppercorn
* Vegetable Oil
* Salt to taste

Making this recipe:

1) Cook the beans with garlic and onion, drain the water and season. Refry them with oil in a saucepan, then blend until pureed. Set aside in a bowl.

2) Slowly stew the meat in the oven with the bay leaf, peppercorn, a pressed in clove of garlic and adding a piece of onion salt to taste, cook until it is cooked and tender; drain the water.

3) Liquify the tomatoes using the blender; pour in your favorite skillet and bring to a boil, mixing in 2 cups of water. Press in a clove of garlic, mix in the chopped onion and a pinch of salt, cumin and cloves. Cook the sauce in a pan with a tablespoon of oil and add the oregano; the red sauce should be liquid.

4) Cook the chiles apart with garlic and onion. Blend them using the blender to prepare the salsa, you can now gradually add them to the tomato sauce, until your sauce reaches the desired hotness.

5) Cut the bread rolls lenghtwise in halves, take out a bit white bread crumb to make some room and spread both sides with refried beans, fill with meat and dip in red sauce, add more hot sauce if you like and ... serve!

Enjoy your meal...