Tortas Ahogadas

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Baron von BeeGee

Beer Bully
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
5,374
Reaction score
36
Location
Barony of Fuquay-Varina, NC
This thread isn't a recipe, but more of a relation of a Mexican culinary experience (the good kind). For lunch on Monday my SIL brought tortas ahogadas to the house. They're basically a chopped pork sandwich on a sourdough crusty roll and one of the famous foods of Guadalajara. Of course, chopped pork on a sourdough crusty roll by itself isn't sufficiently Mexican, so you add ladles of caldillo (similar to tomato sauce), hot sauce to taste, slightly pickled white onions, and a squeeze of lime. The sandwich is eaten with a spoon and if you're unable to spoon through the previously crusty sourdough roll you haven't added enough caldillo to soak it sufficiently. For this reason, it's eaten from a bowl, not a plate.

We (well, I) washed them down with an Indio which is a very basic Vienna-style lager. Nothing superb, but quite quaffable.

Here is my SIL demonstrating the proper technique for adding caldillo to a torta ahogada:
1663-100_0027.JPG


Here is my completed torta ready for consumption:
1663-100_0028.JPG


I'll add more updates if I get anymore interesting photos of food or anything else, for that matter.
 
MMm.. sounds good. Haven't had that one. Gosh so are you Latino as well? Reason I ask is I am milk toast European decent and SWMBO is half Puerto Rican, half Cuban. She talks with her hands and really loud when she is angry. Come to think of it she talks that way all the time :D
 
Chairman Cheyco said:
Fanfarrón

:mug:
Just calling it like I see it! OTOH, I have to survive in my in-law's house, so it ain't all a bed of roses.

zoebisch01, my heritage is questionable as I was adopted at birth, but I was raised a Southern gentleman (more or less) in NC and other than a brilliant bronze tan, I'm pretty caucasian. My wife is from Mexico so I spend a week or two a year down here. One day my Spanish will be passable.

And I've definitely been on the receiving end of an angry Latina. :rockin:
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
Just calling it like I see it! OTOH, I have to survive in my in-law's house, so it ain't all a bed of roses.

zoebisch01, my heritage is questionable as I was adopted at birth, but I was raised a Southern gentleman (more or less) in NC and other than a brilliant bronze tan, I'm pretty caucasian. My wife is from Mexico so I spend a week or two a year down here. One day my Spanish will be passable.

And I've definitely been on the receiving end of an angry Latina. :rockin:


Well you like the food. I found early on that if you like the food and at least try the language (I'm pretty much fluent, the Mexican's laughed at me and asked me what Island I was from...I picked up the accent hehe) they are very cordial for the most part.
 
Last night we went to an Argentine restaurant for a parrilla (basically a mixed grill). 1.2kg of various grilled meats and sausages for two with three different salsas (garlic aioli, chimichurri, and chile). Needless to say, I'm still stuffed.

However, it didn't prevent me from having a singular Mexican experience for breakfast this morning - a coffee and panini at Starbucks (my wife had to meat a colleague to discuss business).
 
One of the best parts of living in So. California is that great mexican food is all around.
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
Last night we went to an Argentine restaurant for a parrilla (basically a mixed grill). 1.2kg of various grilled meats and sausages for two with three different salsas (garlic aioli, chimichurri, and chile). Needless to say, I'm still stuffed.

However, it didn't prevent me from having a singular Mexican experience for breakfast this morning - a coffee and panini at Starbucks (my wife had to meat a colleague to discuss business).


¿Sátira, o Freudiano?

:D
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
Last night we went to an Argentine restaurant for a parrilla (basically a mixed grill). 1.2kg of various grilled meats and sausages for two with three different salsas (garlic aioli, chimichurri, and chile). Needless to say, I'm still stuffed.

Yeah they put it to you in those places. Also any Colombian restaurant. Ask for el typico. :D I am getting hungry now.
 
Sandwich Cubano es mi favorito. I always pick up 'one for the road' whenever I stop by El Artisano in NJ. That mega thing looks like a lot of food.
 
Oh, I forgot to mention and to bring to thread back to beer, I had a Victoria with my meal which is basically an amber lager and while not offensive, inferior to Negra Modelo in my opinion. My wife had a michelada with Negra Modelo which is basically beer poured over some lemon juice and some drops of Jugo de Maggi (kind of like Worcestshire) in a glass with a salted rim. Sometimes they have chile, as well, but not this one. Sounds weird, but is really refreshing.
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
I've always got my phone in my pocket (sadly). My goal is to get a video and have it "go viral" before I cross the border.

Ditto.

I was going to blog all of my lunches. More fun to lurk here.
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
I've always got my phone in my pocket (sadly). My goal is to get a video and have it "go viral" before I cross the border.


Wow, now all you need is some sort of mobile photo-blog. ;)

Have a michelada for me, won't you old bean?
 
You guys have made me insatiably hungry!! You wouldn't think it, but here in Northern Cali, it's really hard to get really good Mexican food. Then again, I'm biased. I was born south of the border...
 
omniscientomar said:
You guys have made me insatiably hungry!! You wouldn't think it, but here in Northern Cali, it's really hard to get really good Mexican food. Then again, I'm biased. I was born south of the border...
If you're in SF check out Tommy's Mexican Restaurant. Despite the name, they have excellent Yucatan-style food. The pibils are fantastic. They also have a tremendous selection of tequilas. It's really fairly nondescript and not at all expensive (kind of a local family owned atmosphere), though I did see it featured on that Chiarello guy's show when he was covering tequila.

BTW, I forgot to take pictures at the baptism party (of the food), but we had chicharron in a red salsa, mole negro (beef), pulled pork in a red sauce, rajas, frijoles, freshly made tortillas on the grill, and all the trimmings.
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
I love pibils, and I've never tried to cook one. Might have to source some banana leaves this weekend.

I haven't hear of pibils? Asian markets are a good place for Banana leaves, you can find them frozen and they work fabby. One pack lasts me forever and a day.

You guys ever had Pasteles?
 
I wish SWMBO were mexican. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE mexican food. We actually met at a Cinco de Mayo party. Her family is Luxemborgean (??) so the meals Grandma cooks are great, but all sausages and heavy gravies and sour sides.

I think I'm going to Asada Express for lunch today. GREAT food, and awesome salsa.
 
I keep waiting, and I saw Cheees post, so I thought I would check it out. But nothing vulger. Damn Baron, You got a hot Sil.

And the food looks fantastic.
 
Sean said:
I keep waiting, and I saw Cheees post, so I thought I would check it out. But nothing vulger. Damn Baron, You got a hot Sil.

Even after pigging out on lunch here I am getting hungry reading this.
As for SIL, marks out of two?
I would give her one!

hee hee hee
 
beer4breakfast said:
I like to make a manchamantel sauce to go with leftover pulled pork. Traditionally you'd serve it with carnitas de puerco o carnitas de res

I haven't heard of manchamantel before. We made Carnitas (almost always refers to pork in Cuban cuisine) the other day. They are traditonally served with lime and salt there or at least where MIL is from. It was nice. Carnitas, Tostones, Arroz con Habichuelas Negra (not together like Congris). I was gonna make Yuca, but the stores around don't turn it over fast enough and it has the tell-tale black streaks of badness :D. You can buy it frozen in most Goya sections but it is too expensive for what it is. It would kind of be like buying frozen potatoes for $4 a lb., which for a staple starch I can't bring myself to do. :eek:
 
I'll have to look for that place in SF. I don't get over there too often even though it's only about 35 mins away. I'll go far for good food though...

P.S. I wouldn't mind checking out that family reunion ;)
 
omniscientomar said:
I'll have to look for that place in SF. I don't get over there too often even though it's only about 35 mins away. I'll go far for good food though...
It's in west SF on Geary, north of the park. It's actually kind of a nice location if you're coming from outside as it's relatively easy to get to from the north or the south and parking's pretty easy to find on the street.
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
Yes, I do, and...she's single. I actually have to mind my gaze at family functions...

zoebisch01, I'll have to check that out for banana leaves.


Come to think of it, if you have a frozen Goya section in the grocer take a gander there too. Goya packages them as well as "La Fe" brand.
 
Back
Top