Mexican Tortas

Family Meal

My neighborhood is filled with taquerías, both free-standing and mobile. Besides turning out freshly made soft tacos, burritos, and crispy tostadas, they usually offer an assortment of tortas, Mexican sandwiches made on soft rolls called bolillos. What makes the sandwiches special are the various condiments on them. At one of my favorite stands, La Fondita in Santa Rosa, California, the sandwiches are dressed with a spicy mayonnaise and stuffed with tomatoes, avocados, shredded cabbage, and sweet onions. The meat filling is sprinkled with a healthy dose of spicy salsa. Usually the choices of filling for tortas are the same choices offered for tacos and burritos . Use leftovers from any of those recipes, either chopped into cubes or thinly sliced, then briefly heated to warm through. You can also make tortas with leftover beef roast, beef pot roast, pork roast, or lamb roast. Serve the tortas with homemade Mexican Pickled Vegetables and lots of napkins (or wear a bib).

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

LIME MAYONNAISE:

• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped pickled jalapeño chile (optional)
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

TORTA:

• 2-3 cups diced or chopped meat (see headnote) or 1 pound sliced ham or sliced leftover roasted or pot-roasted meat
• 4 soft French rolls or Mexican bolillos, split and toasted
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 4 Anaheim chiles, fire-roasted (see [>]) and cut into strips, or one 7-ounce can fire-roasted green chiles
• 8 thin slices ripe tomato
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut lengthwise into thin slices, or My Guacamole (recipe follows)
• 4 slices red onion

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make the lime mayonnaise by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and mixing until well blended. Set aside.
2. Gently heat diced, chopped, or pot-roasted meat in a skillet to warm; leave ham or roasted meat cold.
3. To assemble the tortas, generously slather lime mayonnaise on each cut side of the rolls. Spoon or layer the meat over one half of each roll, sprinkle with the cheese, and top with the roasted chiles, tomato, cabbage, avocado (or guacamole), and red onion.
4. Put the top half of each roll on top, cut the sandwich in half, and serve.
5. Optional: For more spice, spoon or sprinkle a salsa ([>]) or bottled hot sauce over the meat before closing the sandwiches.

COOK’S NOTES:

• If you prefer spicier tortas, you can add more pickled jalapeño chile to the lime mayonnaise or use spicier chiles for the roasted peppers