Pishul de Tapijulapa

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large cast iron comal or thick steel griddle
• •Tortilla press large enough for 9-inch rounds, or a flat board for hand-pressing
• •Heavy bean pot or clay olla
• •Wide skillet for frying beans and pork
• •Volcanic stone molcajete

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the beans

   Put the black beans in a heavy pot with the half onion, 3 garlic cloves, and enough water to cover by three inches. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer. Cook until the beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on their age. Add the epazote and salt during the last 20 minutes. Salt too early if your beans are old and they may stay stubborn. A Tabasco bean should be soft enough to smear, not roll around like a pebble.

2. 2

   Fry the bean paste

   Remove the onion, garlic, and epazote stems from the pot. Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of their cooking liquid. Melt 2 tablespoons manteca in a skillet over medium heat and fry the chopped onion until translucent. Add the beans and mash them with a wooden spoon, adding bean liquid little by little until you have a thick, spreadable paste. It should hold on the tortilla without running. La manteca es el sabor.

3. 3

   Simmer the pork

   Put the pork shoulder in a pot with the bay leaf, oregano, allspice, 1 teaspoon salt, and enough water to barely cover. Simmer until the pork is tender enough to shred, about 1 1/2 hours. Do not boil it hard. You want meat that pulls apart in strands, not dry fibers.

4. 4

   Brown the pork

   Lift the pork from the broth and shred it roughly. Save 1/2 cup of the broth. Melt 3 tablespoons manteca in a wide skillet and fry the shredded pork until the edges turn golden and a little crisp. Add the reserved broth and cook until it coats the meat. This is cerdo guisado for a pishul, not carnitas. Do not confuse the two.

5. 5

   Make amashito salsa

   Roast the tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, and 1/4 onion on a dry comal until blistered and dark in spots. Crush them in a molcajete with the chile amashito and a pinch of salt. Stir in the sour orange juice. The salsa should be sharp, fruity, and direct. Chile amashito is small, but it speaks loudly. Use it with respect.

   If you cannot find chile amashito outside Tabasco, chile habanero is the closest practical substitute. It is a compromise, not the same thing. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado before you give up.
6. 6

   Prepare the masa

   Knead the fresh corn masa with the chopped blanched chaya, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon manteca. Add warm water a spoonful at a time until the masa feels soft and does not crack at the edges when pressed. Chaya belongs to the humid green cooking of Tabasco. Raw chaya is not eaten this way, blanch it first. Así se hace y punto.

7. 7

   Press the totopostes

   Divide the masa into 6 balls. Press each one between plastic sheets into a large thin round, 9 to 10 inches across if your comal allows it. The edges do not need to be perfect. A totoposte from a home kitchen has the hand in it. If it looks machine-cut, you are trying too hard.

8. 8

   Toast them slowly

   Heat a comal over medium-low. Lay one masa round on the comal and cook until it releases, about 2 minutes. Flip and keep cooking, turning every few minutes, until the tortilla dries into a firm, crisp totoposte with toasted brown freckles, 12 to 15 minutes total. This is the work. A pishul sits on a giant slow-toasted Tabasco tortilla, not on a supermarket tostada. No me vengas con atajos.

9. 9

   Assemble the pishul

   Set each hot totoposte on a hoja santa-lined platter or directly on a clay plate. Spread a thick layer of black bean paste across the surface, leaving a narrow edge. Scatter the fried pork over the beans, then the queso fresco or queso de poro, chopped raw onion, and spoonfuls of chile amashito salsa. Serve with lime halves at the table. Eat while the totoposte still cracks under your teeth.

Chef Tips

• •Buy fresh masa from a tortilleria if you can. Masa harina works, but it will not give you the same supple press or the same toasted corn aroma. If masa harina is all you have, hydrate it well and let it rest 30 minutes before pressing.
• •Chaya must be blanched before it goes into the masa. The leaves are part of the Tabasco and Yucatan peninsula pantry, but raw chaya is not something to treat casually.
• •Chile amashito is the Tabasco chile you want. Look for it fresh or pickled in Mexican markets with southeastern ingredients. Habanero gives heat, but not the same local flavor.
• •The totoposte is the test. Keep the comal medium-low and give it time. If the outside browns before the center dries, lower the heat. A crisp base is what separates pishul from a wet tostada.
• •Queso de poro is excellent here if you can find a Tabasco-style version. Queso fresco is the practical substitute. Do not use yellow cheese. That belongs to another conversation.

Advance Preparation

• •The black beans can be cooked up to 3 days ahead. Fry them into paste the day you serve so the texture stays glossy and spreadable.
• •The pork can be simmered and shredded 1 day ahead. Brown it in manteca just before assembling the pishules.
• •The salsa can be made 4 hours ahead and held covered at room temperature. Refrigeration dulls the roasted tomato and chile amashito flavor.
• •The totopostes are best made the same day. If you must hold them, keep them uncovered in a dry place and re-crisp on a low comal before assembling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 550g)