Sandwichón Tabasqueño de Mello

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large pot for poaching chicken
• •Heavy skillet for refrying black beans
• •Offset spatula or long table knife for frosting
• •Half-sheet tray or flat serving board
• •Parchment paper

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the chicken

   Put the chicken in a pot with the half onion, garlic cloves, hoja santa, salt, and enough water to cover by one inch. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 30 to 35 minutes, until the meat pulls cleanly from the bone. Do not boil it hard. Tough chicken makes a dry sandwichón, and the bread will punish you for it.

2. 2

   Shred and chill

   Lift out the chicken and let it cool just enough to handle. Shred it finely with your fingers or two forks. Strain and save the broth for soup or rice. Spread the chicken on a tray and chill it while you prepare the fillings. A cold filling sets cleanly between the bread layers.

3. 3

   Season the beans

   Melt the manteca de cerdo in a skillet over medium heat. Add the cooked black beans, their broth, epazote, and crushed chile amashito. Mash and stir until thick, glossy, and spreadable, about 8 minutes. It should hold a spoon trail. La manteca es el sabor, even in a cold party sandwich.

   Chile amashito is small and sharp, common in Tabasco. Do not replace it with bottled hot sauce. If you cannot find it, use one fresh chile piquin and know you made a compromise.
4. 4

   Cook the vegetables

   Simmer the diced carrot and potato in salted water until tender but not collapsing, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well and cool completely. The pieces should stay distinct in the chicken salad. Mushy potato turns the filling heavy.

5. 5

   Mix chicken salad

   In a bowl, combine the shredded chicken, cooled carrot and potato, 1/2 cup crema, mayonnaise, mustard, lime juice, diced white onion, and cilantro. Taste for salt. The filling should be creamy but not wet. If it drips from the spoon, it will soak the bread and collapse the cake. No me vengas con atajos.

6. 6

   Make the frosting

   Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the 1 1/2 cups crema, queso fresco, pickled jalapeño brine, and salt. Beat until spreadable and thick, like a soft cake frosting. This is not sour cream. Use Mexican crema, with its clean tang and looseness.

7. 7

   Build the first layer

   Line a tray with parchment. Arrange 9 slices of pan de caja in a tight 3-by-3 square. Press the seams together with your palms. Spread half the black bean puree over the bread in a thin even layer, all the way to the edges. The beans are the foundation, not decoration.

8. 8

   Layer and press

   Add another 9 slices of bread. Spread all the chicken salad evenly over the second layer. Cover with 9 more slices and spread the remaining black bean puree. Finish with the last 9 slices of bread. Lay parchment on top, place a sheet pan over it, and press gently for one minute so the layers settle. Do not crush it. You are building structure, not making paste.

9. 9

   Frost the sandwichón

   Spread a thin crumb coat of the crema frosting over the top and sides. Chill 20 minutes, then cover with the remaining frosting in a smooth layer. Use an offset spatula if you have one, a table knife if you do not. The point is a clean celebration cake that cuts into neat striped slices.

10. 10

    Chill and decorate

    Decorate the top with pickled jalapeño strips and tender carrot rounds. Chill at least 2 hours before slicing. Overnight is better. Serve cold, cut into squares, with crushed chile amashito at the table for the people who know what Tabasco tastes like. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Use soft white pan de caja, not baguette, not bolillo, not northern-style sub rolls. This dish depends on bread that compresses into clean layers and slices like a cold cake.
• •The bean layer must be thick. If it is loose, keep cooking it. A watery bean puree will soak the bread and make the sandwichón slump on the tray.
• •Chile amashito is Tabasco's chile. Look for it fresh or pickled in Mexican markets that carry southeastern ingredients. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Do not frost with sour cream. Mexican crema has the right body and tang when beaten with cream cheese and queso fresco. Sour cream tastes heavy and wrong here.
• •This is best made the night before. The bread softens, the layers settle, and the slices come out clean. Saber cocinar es saber vivir.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken can be cooked and shredded one day ahead. Keep it refrigerated in a covered container.
• •The black bean puree can be made two days ahead. Reheat gently to loosen, then cool completely before spreading.
• •The assembled sandwichón should chill at least 2 hours and can be made up to 24 hours ahead. Decorate after the final frosting so the jalapeños and carrots stay clean on the surface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)