Toqueres Michoacanos

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Clay comal or heavy cast iron comal
• •Molino de mano or food processor
• •Volcanic stone molcajete
• •Large mixing bowl or wooden tipistate
• •Thin metal spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the corn

   Use elote sazón, not tender sweet corn. The kernels should be full, starchy, and still moist when pressed, not watery and not dry like feed corn. Cut the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife, then scrape the cobs with the back of the knife to catch the thick corn milk. That milk belongs in the masa.

2. 2

   Grind the masa

   Pass the kernels through a molino de mano if you have one. If not, pulse them in a food processor in small batches until you have a coarse, thick paste with visible corn texture. Do not turn it into a smooth puree. A toquer needs body under the teeth. If the corn throws off a lot of liquid, set the paste in a fine strainer for 5 minutes and let the excess drain.

3. 3

   Season the masa

   Put the ground corn in a bowl. Mix in the melted manteca de cerdo and the salt with your hand, squeezing and folding until the fat disappears into the corn. Add the requesón if you want a softer, richer masa. The mixture should hold together when pressed into a ball and leave a light shine of fat on your palm.

   If the masa is too loose to pat, add masa harina one tablespoon at a time. This is a correction, not the foundation. The dish is built on fresh elote sazón.
4. 4

   Rest the masa

   Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let the masa rest for 10 minutes. The corn starch settles, the salt moves through the mixture, and the masa becomes easier to handle. If it stiffens too much, wet your hands lightly and knead once. No me vengas con atajos. This rest keeps the toqueres from cracking on the comal.

5. 5

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the guajillo chiles for about 20 seconds per side, just until they darken slightly and smell fruity. Toast the chile de árbol for 5 to 8 seconds per side. They burn fast, so watch them. Burned chile makes a bitter salsa and there is no fixing it later.

6. 6

   Roast the salsa

   On the same comal, roast the tomatoes, onion, and unpeeled garlic until the skins blister and blacken in spots. Peel the garlic. Grind the salt and garlic in a molcajete first, then grind in the toasted chiles. Add the tomatoes and onion and crush until the salsa is rough, red, and thick. Add a spoon or two of hot water only if the molcajete needs help. The guajillo gives body and color. The chile de árbol gives the bite.

7. 7

   Heat the comal

   Set a clay comal over medium-low heat and let it warm gradually. Clay does not like being shocked. If you are using cast iron, use medium heat. Rub the surface with a thin film of manteca de cerdo. You want enough fat to perfume and protect the masa, not enough to fry it like a fritter.

8. 8

   Pat the toqueres

   Grease your hands lightly with manteca. Take about 1/3 cup masa and pat it into a round 4 inches wide and about 1/3 inch thick. The edges will be a little uneven. Good. That is the hand at work. Lay each toquer directly onto the hot comal and press gently with your fingertips so it makes full contact.

9. 9

   Cook both sides

   Cook the first side for 4 to 5 minutes, until the edges look set and the bottom has deep golden spots. Flip with a thin spatula and cook the second side for another 4 minutes. Flip once more if the center still feels wet. A finished toquer is crisp at the rim, tender inside, and smells like toasted corn and pork fat. Así se hace y punto.

10. 10

    Serve for almuerzo

    Move the toqueres to a green-glazed barro plate while they are still warm. Spoon crema de rancho or jocoque over the top, scatter queso Cotija or queso añejo, and finish with the salsa de árbol and guajillo. Serve frijoles refritos on the side if this is a full almuerzo. No sugar. No piloncillo. These toqueres are savory, from Tierra Caliente, and they do not need to apologize.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for elote sazón at a Mexican mercado or Latin grocery. If the vendor only has very sweet yellow corn, choose another dish that day. Sweet corn makes sweet cakes, and these are not that.
• •Real queso Cotija comes from the Cotija region of Michoacán and is salty, aged, and dry enough to crumble. If you use a soft white cheese, you have changed the plate. It may still taste good, but it will not speak the same language.
• •Use fresh rendered manteca de cerdo from a carnicería if you can. The shelf-stable hydrogenated blocks taste flat. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •A clay comal gives a gentler heat and a drier surface than a slick skillet. Cast iron works if you manage the heat. Nonstick gives you pale toqueres with no character.
• •Do not confuse toqueres with coastal toqueras. Toqueras often use tender corn and banana leaf. These toqueres are Tierra Caliente food, hand-patted from mature corn and cooked bare on the comal.
• •If the salsa tastes harsh, you burned the chile de árbol or used too much soaking water. Start again. Chiles are cheaper than a ruined almuerzo.

Advance Preparation

• •The salsa de chile de árbol and guajillo can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before serving so the chile flavor opens back up.
• •The corn can be cut from the cob 1 day ahead and refrigerated in a covered container. Grind it the day you cook.
• •The masa can rest for up to 2 hours at cool room temperature. Stir before shaping because the corn liquid settles.
• •Cooked toqueres are best straight from the comal. If you must reheat them, put them back on a dry comal for 1 to 2 minutes per side. They will be good, but the first edge is always the best edge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)