Tortas Ahogadas

I adore tomatoes. I adore all things with tomatoes. My husband, on the other hand, does not. He cringes watching me eat tomatoes in any raw form- especially tomato juice or my favorite, whole and alone. Nevertheless, while living here there has been one street-side tomato dish that has spawned a yearning in him: Tortas Ahogadas. 

The name indicates that it is a sandwich (torta) that is drowned (ahogada), which sounds rather odd, but then again, many extraordinary things are. However, a "drowned sandwich" is by far an understatement; torta ahogada is a deliciously messy, filled birote (a roll similar to a french roll), drenched with an irresistible tomato sauce and the pride and joy of Guadalajara cuisine. It is also topped with cabbage and lime-soaked onions and normally filled with beans and fried pork, but is also often available with shrimp or panela and avocado (the recipe below). It can be ordered fully ahogada which is completely submerged in the tomato and the picante sauce or media ahogada, which is dipped half-way in the picante sauce and then covered in the tomato sauce. The places I have been normally also serve it with the picante sauce on the side.

The history of tortas ahogadas
Supposedly in the early 1900s, a hungry worker came home and with nothing available other than a piece of bread, some beans, some pieces of cooked pork, and some tomato sauce, he concocted this dish. Years later, Señor Ignacio Saldaña “el Güerito” made it popular by opening a restaurant called “Tortas Ahogadas El Güero” in downtown Guadalajara, which is still open (and on my list of must-dos). Now, supposedly the dish can also be found in many parts of the state of Jalisco.

Geeky sidenote: Guadalajara is rumored to hold a Guinness Book of World Records for longest torta ahogada (2119 feet), which was earned September of 2010 as part of the celebrations of the bicentennial of the Mexican independence. Click here for more info.
 

After months of eating this wonderful dish, I finally got up the courage to make it myself. I ended up combining a number of recipes that I found online and the following is what I came up with for two servings, the way we like it--with all the fixings!

Toppings:

• Slice about a cup worth of green cabbage and a lime for garnish.

• Cebolla Desflemada (Limed-soaked onions): 
1. Slice about ⅓ c. of onion in long skinny strips. 
2. Juice a lime, covering the onions half way and set aside.

Salsa de jitomate (tomato sauce):

3/4 c. water
4-5  large roma tomatoes or whatever variation of tomato that is ripe and fresh, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, cut in large pieces
1 ½ tsp. of oregano
a few dashes of cumin
a couple dashes of clove
and salt to taste




Instructions:
1) Optional: Cook everything over medium heat until the onions are transparent.
2) Blend everything in a blender and set a side. 

Salsa Picante (very hot sauce):

2 handfuls of dried chiles de arbol or similar variety 

1 1/2 c. of water
2 tbs. of vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

1 clove of garlic
Instructions: 

1) Blend in a blender and set aside.

• Note: This will yield about 11/2 cup of hot sauce, which is great to have around but much more than you probably use for this dish. 

Torta de Panela y Aguacate:
2 birotes, if available
½  avocado, cut in slices
7 or 8 slices of fresh panela
¼ c. refried beans
Instructions:
1) Slice the rolls so they open well but are in one piece
2) Spread the refried beans on both faces of the bread
3) Fill with the panela and avocado

Assemblage:

1) Dip each sandwich in the hot sauce to your liking- half-way or fully, or you can put some on afterward if it is too hot for a dip. 

2) Pour some of the tomato sauce over each sandwich, leaving a small pool on the plate or bowl.
3) Top with a handful of cabbage.
4) Add the onions, lime, picante sauce and/or more tomato sauce, as desired.

Eating this dish:

We used to awkwardly eat this dish with a spoon because it is incredibly messy, but since the bread isn’t completely saturated, it can be kind of difficult--a battle of wills, sandwich against sandwich-lover. However, one day while I was warring with my stubborn (but delicious) torta, I looked over and noticed that my fellow Mexican tortas ahogadas eaters had surrendered to the dish and were eating it with their sauce-covered hands (the way it is traditionally eaten, I learned). I thought, “To hell with this spoon! Since when did I get too prim-and-proper to get my hands a little dirty in the name of food?!” Needless to say, suit your fancy, but you wouldn't get any odd looks for going tapatia style. 


Well, I hope you try this and love it!