Torta de Milanesa

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet
• •Three shallow plates for the breading station
• •Wire rack for resting and draining
• •Large cast iron or heavy skillet for frying
• •Cast iron comal or second skillet for toasting the teleras
• •Serrated bread knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Pound the milanesa

   Lay each steak between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan until the meat is an even 1/4 inch thick. Thin is the point. A thick milanesa is not a milanesa, it is a steak. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Let the meat sit at room temperature for ten minutes while you set up the breading station.

2. 2

   Set up the breading line

   Three shallow plates. Flour in the first. Beaten egg with the tablespoon of water in the second. Breadcrumbs in the third. Work in order: flour, egg, breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs onto both sides of each milanesa so the coating sticks. Lay the breaded steaks on a wire rack and let them rest for five minutes. The coating sets and stays on the meat instead of sliding off into the oil.

   Use pan molido, the fine dry breadcrumbs sold in Mexican groceries. Panko gives you a different texture, more like katsu than milanesa. They are not interchangeable here.
3. 3

   Fry the milanesas

   Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it shimmers, about 350F. Test with a corner of one steak. If it sizzles right away and the breadcrumbs start turning gold within seconds, you are ready. Fry the milanesas one or two at a time, three minutes per side, until deep gold and crisp. Do not crowd the pan or the temperature drops and the coating turns greasy. Drain on a wire rack, not paper towels. Paper towels steam the bottom and the crust goes soft.

4. 4

   Prepare the telera

   Slice each telera horizontally without cutting all the way through, so it opens like a clam. Pull out a little of the white crumb from each side to make room for the fillings. Do not skip this. A torta packed without hollowing the bread becomes impossible to bite. Melt the manteca on a comal or in a heavy skillet over medium heat and toast the cut sides of the telera until golden and crisp. La manteca es el sabor, even here. Butter works. Manteca is better.

5. 5

   Build the bottom half

   Spread a generous layer of warm refried black beans on the bottom half of each telera. The beans are the glue that holds everything together and the foundation of every chilango torta. Lay two slices of queso Oaxaca or panela directly on the hot beans so the cheese softens against them. Place a fried milanesa on top. The milanesa should hang over the edges. That is the sign of a properly built torta.

6. 6

   Layer the cold side

   On the top half of the telera, spread a spoonful of crema. Add sliced avocado, tomato, shredded lettuce, and as many pickled jalapeños with carrot and onion as you can stand. Drizzle a teaspoon of the escabeche liquid over the lettuce. That tang is what cuts through the fried meat and the beans. Without the escabeche the torta is flat.

7. 7

   Close and press

   Close the torta. Press down firmly with the palm of your hand. A chilango torta is meant to be compressed so the fillings marry and the bread holds together for the first bite. Cut in half on the diagonal. Serve immediately with extra jalapeños and a cold Jarritos or Coca-Cola Mexicana. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Find real teleras. A Mexican panadería will have them, especially on weekdays. If you cannot find teleras, bolillos are the next best thing, slightly smaller and rounder, but they work. Do not use a baguette or a ciabatta. Wrong texture, wrong shape, wrong torta.
• •Pound the meat thin yourself. Pre-cut milanesa from the supermarket is often too thick or unevenly butterflied. Buy top round or sirloin, slice it 1/2 inch thick against the grain, and pound it to 1/4 inch between plastic wrap. The thinness is what gives milanesa its crisp-to-meat ratio.
• •The pickled jalapeños should be the kind sold in cans or jars with carrots and onion in escabeche, La Costeña or San Marcos brand. Fresh sliced jalapeños are a different ingredient and do not give the torta the acid it needs.
• •Mexican crema is not sour cream. Sour cream is thicker, tangier, and sits on the bread like a wet sponge. Crema is pourable, slightly salty, and melts into the layers. If you cannot find it, thin sour cream with a little milk and a pinch of salt. A compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Build to order. A torta de milanesa cannot wait. Once the beans hit the hot bread and the crema hits the lettuce, you have about five minutes before everything starts to go soft.

Advance Preparation

• •The milanesas can be breaded one hour ahead and refrigerated uncovered on a wire rack. This actually helps the coating set and stick to the meat.
• •The refried beans can be made up to three days ahead and reheated with a splash of water or stock to loosen them. Cold beans on hot bread is the wrong move.
• •The whole torta cannot be made ahead. This is a build-and-eat dish. Set out all the components and assemble at the table when everyone is ready to sit down.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 580g)