Torta ahogada

From my earliest memories, tortas ahogadas have been a cherished staple for family gatherings in Guadalajara. This dish is often difficult to describe to those unfamiliar and it can get a little lost in translation. Imagine making a perfect sandwich of carnitas and beans, then soaking it with a seasoned tomato sauce, then eat with pickled onions and a spicy chile sauce. Yes, it's messy - but it's worth every bite!

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  2

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  3 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked beans (e.g. pinto or white bean), puréed with a splash of water
• Toasted bread rolls, pickled red onions, spicy sauce, to serve (see Note)

For the carnitas

• 500 g pork shoulder, cut into 5 cm x 5 cm chunks
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 dried bay leaf
• ¼ white onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

For the “Ahogada” (drowning) sauce

• 1.5 kg Roma tomatoes, quartered
• ½ cup (125 ml) water
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground Mexican oregano
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp vinegar
• Salt

Instructions

1. To make the carnitas, preheat the oven to 180˚C. Combine the pork with the salt, pepper and oregano in a medium bowl and toss well to combine. Heat a large frying pan over high heat and brown the pork on all sides, then transfer to a large baking tray with the remaining ingredients for the carnitas. Add a generous splash of water and bake for 2 hours, or until tender. Once cooked, remove from the oven, allow to cool and shred the meat with 2 forks. Season to taste with salt, if needed.
   
2. To make the ahogada sauce, combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until softened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then blend in a high-speed blender to a loose sauce, add extra water if the mixture is too thick. Return to the saucepan and season to taste. If making in advance, gently warm through over medium heat before using.
   
3. To serve, spread the bean purée onto both sides of the toasted bread rolls, then fill with the shredded pork. Place onto a large plate or bowl and ladle over enough ahogada sauce to coat. Serve the torta ahogada with pickled onions and spicy sauce on the side.

Note

• This recipe used 6 sourdough French rolls (15 cm long). Before toasting, pick the interior bread out of the rolls to allow more filling to fit inside the crust.
  
• To make the quick pickled red onions, combine 1 thinly sliced red onion, the juice of two limes and a generous pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Drain before using.
  
• To make the spicy sauce, you will need to combine 50 g chile de arbol, dried and stemmed, 1 cup (250 ml) water, ¼ white onion, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, ½ cup (125 ml) white vinegar and salt, to taste into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the onion is translucent, then transfer to a high-speed blender and blitz to a smooth sauce.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Buen Provecho!

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G