Brazo de Reina (Dzotobichay)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large steamer or tamalera with rack
• •Cast iron comal or heavy dry skillet for toasting and charring
• •Spice grinder or small food processor for the pepitas
• •High-powered blender for the chiltomate
• •Kitchen twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Pickle the red onion

   Place the sliced red onion in a glass jar. Pour over the naranja agria juice and the teaspoon of salt. Cover and shake. Set aside on the counter for at least 30 minutes. The onion will turn bright pink and the bite will mellow. Cebolla morada en escabeche is the salt of the Peninsula. It belongs on every Yucatecan table.

2. 2

   Toast and grind the pepitas

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Pour in the pepitas in a single layer. Toast them, stirring constantly, for five to seven minutes. They will puff, pop, and turn the color of sand at sunset. Do not let them brown. Burned pepitas taste of bitterness and there is no fixing it. Cool completely, then grind in batches in a spice grinder or food processor until you have a fine, dry powder the texture of coarse flour. This is what the Maya call sikil. It is the soul of dzotobichay.

   Grind the pepitas only when they are fully cool. Warm seeds release their oil and clump into a paste instead of staying powdery. You want powder, not butter.
3. 3

   Prepare the chaya

   Bring a medium pot of salted water to a simmer. Add the chaya leaves and blanch for five minutes. Chaya is not eaten raw. The fresh leaves contain compounds that need heat to break down, and the senoras in the Yucatan know this without being told. Reserve a half cup of the cooking water. Drain the chaya, squeeze out the excess liquid, and chop very fine. You should have about one packed cup.

4. 4

   Knead the masa with chaya

   In a large bowl, beat the manteca with a wooden spoon or stand mixer until light and pale, about three minutes. Add the masa in chunks, working it in until completely combined. Add the salt, baking powder, and chopped chaya. Knead by hand or paddle until the masa is uniformly green, soft, and pliable. Add the reserved chaya water or broth a tablespoon at a time if the masa feels stiff. La manteca es el sabor. Do not skimp on it and do not substitute oil. The masa needs the fat to stay tender after an hour of steaming.

5. 5

   Pass the banana leaves over the flame

   Cut the banana leaves into rectangles roughly 12 by 16 inches. Hold each piece briefly over a gas flame or a hot dry comal, moving it constantly, until the surface turns from matte green to glossy and pliable. This is how the Peninsula prepares banana leaf. The heat releases the oils in the leaf and makes it bendable instead of brittle. Wipe each leaf with a damp cloth on both sides to remove any dust.

6. 6

   Form the brazo

   Lay a piece of banana leaf shiny side up on the counter, with the long grain running horizontally. Spread half the masa in a rectangle about 10 inches long and 6 inches wide, centered on the leaf. Sprinkle a generous layer of ground pepita across the masa, about half a cup. Arrange a row of hard-boiled egg slices down the center, end to end. Sprinkle another quarter cup of pepita over the eggs. Using the leaf as your guide, lift the long edge nearest you and roll the masa over the filling like you are rolling a jelly roll. Tuck firmly. The masa should enclose the eggs completely. Wrap the leaf snugly around the cylinder, fold in the ends, and tie with kitchen twine in three places. Repeat with the second leaf and the remaining masa. You should have two fat green logs.

   Do not overfill. The masa needs to seal completely around the eggs or the brazo will split during steaming and you will lose your filling to the steamer water.
7. 7

   Steam the brazos

   Set up a large steamer or tamalera with a few inches of water and a layer of banana leaf scraps on the rack to protect the bottoms. Lay both brazos horizontally on the rack, side by side. Cover with more banana leaf scraps and a tight lid. Steam over medium heat for one hour and fifteen minutes. Check the water every 30 minutes and add boiling water from a kettle if it runs low. Asi se hace y punto. The brazo is done when the masa pulls cleanly away from the leaf and feels firm when pressed.

8. 8

   Make the chiltomate

   While the brazos rest after steaming, char the tomatoes, half onion, unpeeled garlic, and whole habanero on a dry comal over medium-high heat. Turn them as the skins blacken in patches, about ten minutes total. The garlic skin will turn papery and the habanero will blister. Peel the garlic. Transfer everything except the habanero to a blender. The habanero goes in whole, on the side, for the cook who wants more heat. Blend until smooth but not foamy. Heat the tablespoon of lard in a skillet and pour in the puree. It will sputter. Cook for ten minutes, stirring, until the sauce darkens and the fat separates. Season with salt. This is chiltomate, the everyday tomato sauce of the Peninsula.

9. 9

   Slice and serve

   Let the brazos rest in their leaves for ten minutes after steaming. Cut the twine. Unwrap one brazo onto a long serving platter, keeping it on a section of its banana leaf for color. Slice crosswise into rounds about an inch thick. Each slice should show the green masa, the pale center of egg, and the dark border of pepita. Spoon warm chiltomate over the top or serve it alongside in a clay cazuelita. Pile the pickled red onion next to it and set a whole habanero on the table for the brave. This is Cuaresma food. It does not need meat to feed people seriously.

Chef Tips

• •Real chaya is hard to find outside the Peninsula and parts of Florida and Texas. If you cannot find it, use mature spinach or a mix of spinach and Swiss chard. The color will be similar but the flavor is grassier and less nutty than chaya. Tell your guests what you are working with. Honesty is part of the recipe.
• •Pepitas are not optional. The ground pumpkin seed is the protein and the structural backbone of the filling. Buy them raw and hulled, not roasted and salted. Toast them yourself on a comal so you can control the color. Pre-toasted store pepitas are usually overdone and bitter.
• •Banana leaves freeze beautifully. Buy them at a Latin American or Asian market, divide into useful sheets, freeze flat. Thaw and pass over the flame before using. They lose nothing in the freezer.
• •Habanero on the side, always. The chile of the Peninsula is fierce and it is not folded into the dish itself. It rides alongside, whole or in a salsa, and the diner decides. Respect the cook who cannot take heat and respect the cook who can. Both belong at the table.

Advance Preparation

• •The ground pepita can be toasted and ground up to three days ahead. Store in an airtight jar at room temperature.
• •The chiltomate sauce can be made two days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently with a splash of water.
• •The pickled red onion can be made up to a week ahead. It only gets better as it sits in the naranja agria.
• •The assembled brazos can be wrapped and refrigerated raw for up to 24 hours before steaming. Add ten minutes to the steaming time if cooking straight from cold.
• •Leftover brazo keeps refrigerated for four days and reheats beautifully on a hot comal, sliced into rounds and warmed until the edges crisp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 315g)