Toqueras Saladas de la Meseta P'urhépecha

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Comal de barro set over leña, or a heavy cast iron comal
• •Molino, metate, or food processor for grinding maíz nuevo
• •Volcanic stone molcajete
• •Wide mixing bowl for working the masa
• •Green-glazed Capula or Patamban clay plate for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the leaves

   Lay out the hojas de maíz frescas de la planta and wipe away any silk. These are not dried corn husks from a packet. They are the green leaves pulled from the cane, flexible enough to wrap and fragrant enough to perfume the masa on the comal. Tear a few narrow strips for tying. If the leaves are stiff, pass them over the warm comal for a few seconds until they bend without cracking.

2. 2

   Grind the corn

   Grind the maíz nuevo kernels in a molino, metate, or food processor until they become a rough wet paste. Do not liquefy them. You want tiny pieces of tender corn left in the masa because that is what makes a toquera different from a plain gordita. The fresh corn gives sweetness and moisture. The masa nixtamalizada gives structure and the taste of cal.

3. 3

   Mix the masa

   In a wide bowl, work the manteca de cerdo with the sal de grano until it softens and turns creamy. Add the masa nixtamalizada and the ground maíz nuevo. Knead with your hand until the masa feels smooth, soft, and holds together when pressed. If it cracks at the edges, add warm water one tablespoon at a time. If it slumps like batter, it is too wet. A toquera is a tamal-gordita hybrid, not a pancake. La manteca es el sabor.

   Do not use shortening. It gives you a pale, flat masa with no memory of the comal. Manteca de cerdo is the fat here. Así se hace y punto.
4. 4

   Wrap the toqueras

   Place one fresh corn leaf shiny side down. Set about 1/3 cup masa in the center and press it into an oval about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the sides of the leaf over the masa, then fold the ends in to make a flat packet. Tie once around the middle with a strip of hoja. Do not strangle it. The packet should hold its shape but still let the masa expand slightly as it cooks.

5. 5

   Roast the salsa

   Heat a comal over medium. Roast the chile perón, tomatillos, onion, and unpeeled garlic until blistered and browned in spots, turning as each side darkens. Chile perón is the thick-fleshed chile some markets call chile manzano, and it is the one with black seeds. Remember that. Peel the garlic. Grind the garlic and salt first in a molcajete, then the chile perón, then the tomatillos and onion. Leave the salsa coarse. A blender will work, but a molcajete gives you the bite this salsa wants.

   Keep the black seeds from at least one chile perón if you want the salsa to speak clearly. Remove them all and the salsa becomes polite. Food does not need to be polite.
6. 6

   Cook on the comal

   Set a comal de barro over steady leña embers, or use a heavy cast iron comal over medium heat. Lay the wrapped toqueras seam side down. Cook 8 to 10 minutes per side, turning as the leaves char in patches and the masa firms inside. Press gently with your fingers. The center should feel set, not wet. The hoja protects the masa while the comal gives it that toasted edge a pot cannot give.

7. 7

   Finish with salt

   Open each packet carefully and return the naked toquera to the comal for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Brush with a little melted manteca if the surface looks dry. Sprinkle with sal de grano while the fat is still glossy. This final contact with the comal is what makes the outside taste browned and alive. No me vengas con atajos.

8. 8

   Toast the charales

   Melt 1 tablespoon manteca in a small skillet or on a corner of the comal. Add the charales secos de Pátzcuaro and toss for 2 to 3 minutes until they smell clean and lake-salty and their edges crisp under the spoon. These small fish, Chirostoma jordani and related species, belong to the lake country. They are not decoration. They tell you where you are.

9. 9

   Serve from clay

   Set the toqueras on a warm green-glazed clay plate from Capula or a cobalt-on-white Patamban platter if you have one. Spoon chile perón salsa over the top or serve it from the molcajete. Add crema de rancho, queso Cotija, toasted charales, and lime halves at the table. Eat them warm, with the hoja still nearby. The wrapper is part of the memory of the dish.

Chef Tips

• •Buy masa nixtamalizada from a tortillería or molino that still smells like corn and cal. Masa harina is an emergency compromise, not an upgrade. If you use it, hydrate it with the ground maíz nuevo and let it rest 20 minutes before adding more water.
• •Ask for hoja de maíz fresca de la planta. Dried husks are for another kind of tamal. They will wrap, yes, but they will not brown or perfume the masa the same way on the comal.
• •Chile perón is not a jalapeño with a new name. It is thick, yellow to orange, and has black seeds. If you cannot find it, use serrano with tomatillo and say honestly that you made a compromise.
• •Charales from Pátzcuaro are small lake fish, often sold dried. Toast them quickly. If they smell rancid or dusty, leave them at the stall. Bad charal ruins the plate faster than bad salsa.
• •Cook over leña when you can. If you cannot, use a heavy comal and let it heat fully before the first packet touches it. A weak comal gives you pale masa and no character.

Advance Preparation

• •The chile perón salsa can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before serving so the chile flavor opens again.
• •The masa can be mixed up to 4 hours ahead. Cover it directly with a damp cloth so the surface does not dry and crack.
• •Wrapped uncooked toqueras can rest in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. Let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before they go on the comal.
• •Cooked toqueras reheat best still wrapped in their hoja on a medium comal for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Do not microwave them unless you enjoy rubber.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 230g)