Garnachas Jarochas

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy steel comal
• •Tortilla press lined with plastic
• •Wide heavy skillet or shallow clay cazuela for frying
• •Blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Tongs or kitchen spider

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the beef

   Place the falda de res in a pot with the half onion, 3 garlic cloves, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover with water by 2 inches and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook 75 to 90 minutes, until the meat pulls apart with two forks. Skim the foam in the first 15 minutes. Do not throw away the broth. That broth carries the beef into the salsa and keeps the shredded meat from drying out.

   A pressure cooker works here. Cook the beef for about 35 minutes under pressure, then let the pressure release naturally. This is a useful tool, not a shortcut that changes the dish.
2. 2

   Cure the onion

   While the beef cooks, put the thinly sliced white onion in a small bowl with the naranja agria juice and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss with your fingers and let it sit at least 30 minutes. The onion should soften, turn glossy, and lose its raw bite. If you are using lime and orange instead of true naranja agria, understand the compromise. It works, but the edge is different.

3. 3

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the guajillo chiles 15 to 20 seconds per side, just until their color deepens and the skin smells warm. Toast the chile de árbol for only a few seconds. It burns fast. Toast the chipotle meco until it wakes up and smells smoky. Put the toasted chiles in a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak 15 minutes.

   Burned chile turns bitter. If a chile blackens hard, throw it out and toast another. No me vengas con atajos. You cannot hide burned chile under tomato.
4. 4

   Roast the salsa base

   On the same comal, roast the halved jitomates, the quarter onion, and the 2 unpeeled garlic cloves. Turn them until the tomato skins blister, the onion has dark spots, and the garlic feels soft inside its skin. Peel the garlic. This is where the salsa gets depth. Raw tomato salsa has its place. Not here.

5. 5

   Blend and fry salsa

   Drain the soaked chiles and blend them with the roasted jitomates, roasted onion, peeled garlic, Mexican oregano, 1/2 cup reserved beef broth, and salt to taste. Blend until smooth. Strain if your blender leaves chile skin behind. Melt 2 tablespoons manteca de cerdo in a skillet and fry the salsa 7 to 8 minutes, stirring, until it turns brick red and the fat makes a thin ring at the edge. La manteca es el sabor.

6. 6

   Make the masa

   Knead the fresh masa with 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and 2 tablespoons melted manteca de cerdo. If you are using masa harina, mix it with warm water first, let it rest 20 minutes, then knead in the salt and lard. The masa should feel soft and alive, not sticky. If the edges crack when pressed, knead in warm water one tablespoon at a time. Divide into 18 balls.

7. 7

   Set on comal

   Press each masa ball between plastic into a round about 3 inches wide and a little thicker than a tortilla. Cook the rounds on a dry hot comal for about 45 seconds per side, just until the surface turns matte with a few brown freckles. Keep them under a cloth. This first cooking gives the masa structure so it fries cleanly instead of falling apart.

8. 8

   Fry the discs

   Melt 1 1/2 cups manteca de cerdo in a wide skillet or shallow cazuela over medium heat. You want about 1/4 inch of lard. Fry 2 or 3 masa rounds at a time, 45 to 60 seconds per side, until the edges are crisp and golden but the centers stay tender. Drain on a rack or brown paper. You are making garnachas, not tostadas. The center should still have chew.

9. 9

   Season the beef

   Shred the cooked beef with your hands or two forks. Melt 1 tablespoon manteca de cerdo in a skillet and cook the finely chopped white onion until it softens. Add the shredded beef, 3 tablespoons of the salsa roja, and a splash of reserved broth. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, until the meat is seasoned, lightly browned at the edges, and still moist. Taste for salt.

10. 10

    Assemble and serve

    Spread each fried masa disc with salsa roja. Add a small mound of shredded beef, then cebolla curtida. Add crumbled queso fresco only if that is how your table serves them. Serve immediately, family-style, with extra salsa in a clay bowl. No lettuce. No sour cream. No cheddar. This is Veracruz. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh masa from a tortillería or nixtamal mill is the first choice. Masa harina works when that is what you have, but it is a compromise, not an upgrade. Ask the women at the market where the good masa is. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Manteca de cerdo is not decoration here. It seasons the masa, fries the salsa, and gives the garnacha its crisp edge. Vegetable oil will make a flatter, drier antojito.
• •Chipotle meco connects this salsa to jalapeño country around Xalapa. If your chile vendor only has chipotle morita, use one, but know that morita is darker, sweeter, and softer in smoke.
• •The cebolla curtida needs acid, salt, and time. Do not pile raw onion on top and pretend it is the same thing. The cured onion cuts the lard and beef so you want another bite.
• •Serve garnachas as soon as they are assembled. If they sit fully dressed, the salsa softens the fried masa. You can hold the parts separately and assemble fast, the way the Veracruz women do.

Advance Preparation

• •The beef can be cooked, shredded, and stored in its broth up to 2 days ahead. Reheat it in the broth before frying with onion and salsa.
• •The salsa roja can be made and fried 2 days ahead. Reheat it gently and loosen with a spoonful of beef broth if it thickens.
• •The cebolla curtida can be made 1 day ahead. Past that, it loses crunch.
• •The masa rounds can be pressed and set on the comal up to 3 hours ahead. Keep them wrapped in a clean cloth, then fry just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)