Bolas de Queso de León

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal for roasting chiles and tomatoes
• •Heavy 4-quart pot or small cazo for frying
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Slotted spoon or kitchen spider
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan
• •Blender or volcanic stone molcajete for the salsa

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the salsa

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the chile guajillo about 20 seconds per side, just until flexible and fragrant. Toast the chile de árbol for only a few seconds, turning constantly. It burns fast and burned chile tastes bitter. Roast the tomatoes, onion, and unpeeled garlic on the same comal until the tomatoes blister and the garlic softens. Put the toasted guajillo in hot water for 10 minutes to soften. Hot water, not boiling. No me vengas con atajos.

   If a chile de árbol turns black, throw it out. Six chiles cost less than one ruined salsa.
2. 2

   Blend and fry

   Peel the roasted garlic. Blend the softened guajillo, chile de árbol, tomatoes, onion, garlic, dried Mexican oregano, kosher salt, and 1/2 cup of the guajillo soaking water until smooth. Melt 1 tablespoon manteca de cerdo in a small cazuela or skillet over medium heat. Pour in the salsa and cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until it darkens to brick red and thickens enough to coat a spoon. The salsa should taste sharp enough to cut through fried masa.

3. 3

   Knead the masa

   Put the fresh masa in a bowl. Add the softened manteca de cerdo, sea salt, and baking powder. Knead with your hand for 3 minutes, pressing and folding until the fat disappears into the masa. Add warm water a tablespoon at a time only if the masa cracks when pressed. You want soft masa that holds together without sticking to your palms. Fresh masa should smell like cooked corn, not dust.

4. 4

   Wrap the cheese

   Divide the masa into 16 equal portions. Flatten one portion into a 3-inch disk in your palm, set a cube of queso fresco in the center, and close the masa around it. Pinch the seam shut and roll gently into a ball. Cover the shaped bolas with a damp towel while you work. The surface must be smooth. A crack becomes a leak, and a leak turns your frying fat into a mess.

   Use firm queso fresco de rancho, not Oaxaca cheese and not yellow cheese. Melting cheese runs out before the masa cooks. Queso fresco softens and stays where it belongs.
5. 5

   Beat the capeado

   Put the flour in a shallow dish. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt until they hold soft peaks. Beat the yolks separately, then fold them into the whites with a light hand. This capeado should be airy, not stiff. It is the same logic as chiles rellenos: the egg protects the filling while the outside turns golden.

6. 6

   Heat the manteca

   Melt the manteca de cerdo in a heavy pot or small cazo, deep enough to hold 2 inches of fat. Do not fill the pot more than halfway. Heat to 340F, or until a tiny pinch of masa sinks for one second, then rises with steady bubbles around it. La manteca es el sabor. At La Pulga, vendors may use oil because a stall has its own economy. At home, use manteca and understand the difference.

7. 7

   Batter and fry

   Roll 4 masa balls lightly in flour and shake off the excess. Dip each one into the egg capeado, coating it completely, then lower it into the hot manteca with a spoon. Fry 5 to 6 minutes, turning gently, until the outside is deep gold and the masa feels firm under the spoon. Keep the fat between 330F and 345F. Too hot and the egg browns before the masa cooks. Too cool and the balls drink fat.

8. 8

   Drain and serve

   Lift the bolas out with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Let them rest 3 minutes before serving because the cheese inside holds heat. Spoon the guajillo and chile de árbol salsa over them or serve it in a small clay cazuelita for dipping. Add lime halves on the side. Eat them standing, seated, at a game, at a picnic, it does not matter. What matters is that the masa is cooked, the cheese stays inside, and the salsa wakes the whole thing up. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh masa from a tortillería is best. If you cannot get it, use 2 cups masa harina with about 1 1/2 cups warm water, then knead in the manteca, salt, and baking powder. Let it rest 20 minutes. It will work, but it will not taste as deep as fresh nixtamal. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •The queso fresco must be firm and dry. If yours is wet, wrap it in a clean towel and press it under a plate for 20 minutes before cutting. Wet cheese leaks.
• •Do not use Oaxaca cheese, mozzarella, cheddar, or anything that melts into strings. This is not a quesadilla hiding inside a ball. The cheese should soften, not escape.
• •If you refuse manteca de cerdo, use a high-heat neutral oil and accept that you changed the snack. The texture will be lighter and the flavor flatter. La manteca es el sabor.

Advance Preparation

• •The salsa can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently or serve at room temperature.
• •The masa balls can be shaped up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them covered with a damp towel in the refrigerator and bring them close to room temperature before battering.
• •Do not batter them ahead. Capeado waits for nobody. Beat the eggs right before frying.
• •Fried bolas are best the day they are made. To reheat, place them on a rack in a 400F oven for 8 to 10 minutes until the outside firms again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)