Tacos Placeros de Toluca

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large cast iron comal or heavy 12-inch skillet
• •Tortilla press lined with cut plastic if pressing tortillas at home
• •Sharp paring knife for the nopales
• •Heavy wooden cutting board
• •Tongs for the cecina

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the nopales

   Bring a medium pot of water to a boil with the half-onion piece, the smashed garlic, the salt, and the sprig of epazote. Add the diced nopales and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until they turn from bright green to a duller olive and the slick liquid they release thickens around them. Drain them in a colander and rinse briefly under cold water to wash off the baba, the natural slime. Set aside. Epazote is not optional here. It cuts the babosidad and gives the nopales the flavor that belongs to them.

   If your nopales still feel slick after draining, spread them on a baking sheet for ten minutes. The air finishes the job. Do not skip this. Slimy nopales ruin a taco placero.
2. 2

   Heat the chicharron

   If you are using chicharron prensado, crumble it into a dry skillet over low heat and warm it for two or three minutes until the fat softens and the pieces loosen. If you are using regular fried chicharron, break it into rough shards and leave it at room temperature. It should stay crisp until the moment the taco closes around it. Soggy chicharron is a sin against this taco.

3. 3

   Cook the cecina

   Heat a cast iron comal or heavy skillet over medium-high until a drop of water dances and disappears. Add one tablespoon of manteca. Lay the cecina enchilada flat on the comal in a single layer, working in batches so the meat sears instead of steaming. Cook 45 seconds per side. The edges should darken and the chile marinade should turn glossy. Cecina is thin on purpose. It is meant to cook fast and stay tender. Overcook it and you get jerky.

   Real cecina from Toluca is pounded paper-thin and dry-cured with salt and chile. If you can find it at a Mexican carniceria, buy it. If you cannot, ask the butcher to butterfly and pound thin slices of beef or pork loin, then marinate them overnight in a paste of toasted chile guajillo, garlic, salt, and a splash of vinegar.
4. 4

   Cook the longaniza if using

   If you are adding longaniza or chorizo verde toluqueno, crumble it into the same comal with the remaining tablespoon of manteca over medium heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until the fat renders and the edges crisp. Push it to one side of the comal to keep warm.

5. 5

   Heat the tortillas on the comal

   Wipe the comal clean and reduce the heat to medium. Heat each large tortilla for about 20 seconds per side, until it puffs slightly and you see dark spots blooming across the surface. While each tortilla is still hot on the comal, lay a generous handful of queso Oaxaca down the middle. Let the cheese soften and stretch from the residual heat. This is the foundation. The cheese melts into the masa, not on top of it.

   The tortillas have to be big. A standard 6-inch tortilla cannot carry this taco. If you cannot find 9-inch tortillas, press them yourself with a heavy tortilla press lined with a cut plastic bag.
6. 6

   Build the taco

   Slide the tortilla with melted cheese onto a warm plate. Layer cecina down the center, then a generous spoonful of nopales, then a few pieces of chicharron, then sliced avocado, then diced raw onion and chopped cilantro. If you are using longaniza, add a spoonful. The build is the dish. This is a stacked taco, not a folded one. Each layer should be visible at the edges.

7. 7

   Serve at the table

   Set the salsas, lime wedges, jalapenos en escabeche, and chile pasilla en polvo in small dishes around the table. Each person folds and seasons their own taco. That is why they are called placeros, from the plaza, from the market. The cook builds the foundation. The eater finishes it. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Cecina enchilada is non-negotiable. If your local carniceria does not carry it, drive to one that does or order it from a Mexican butcher who ships. Substituting plain skirt steak gives you a different taco. A good one, maybe. But not a placero.
• •Queso Oaxaca pulls into strings the way mozzarella does, but it has more salt and more body. Do not substitute Monterey Jack. The melt is wrong and the flavor is flat. If you cannot find Oaxaca, use queso asadero. That is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Buy nopales fresh and dethorn them yourself, or buy them already cleaned at a Mexican mercado. Jarred nopales work in an emergency, but rinse them well and they will still be more acidic than fresh.
• •The salsas at the table do real work. A salsa verde cruda made with raw tomatillo, serrano, and cilantro cuts the richness of the cheese and chicharron. A morita salsa adds smoke. Offer both. Pregunta a las senoras del mercado: every placero stall has at least two salsas, and the eater decides.

Advance Preparation

• •The nopales can be cooked one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring them to room temperature before assembling.
• •Cecina enchilada keeps in the refrigerator for two to three days raw. Do not cook it until the moment the tacos go to the table.
• •Salsas can be made up to one day ahead. The salsa verde cruda is best the day it is made; after that the tomatillos start to dull.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 550g)