Tortitas de Huauzontle en Caldillo

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy dry skillet for charring
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •10-inch clay cazuela or heavy saucepan for the caldillo
• •Wide skillet for frying
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan
• •Kitchen string for tying the bundles

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the huauzontle

   Rinse the huauzontle under cold water. Snap off the tender flowering tops and the thin side branches that bend easily between your fingers. The thick woody central stem goes in the compost. What you want is the broccoli-like cluster of green buds and the soft stems that snap. Tie the cleaned sprigs into small bundles of three or four with kitchen string, leaving an inch of stem at the base to hold onto. This is how the señoras at the Mercado de Jamaica prepare it and there is a reason: the bundle is what holds the cheese.

   Huauzontle is in season from late winter through Lent in central Mexico. If you cannot find it fresh, do not substitute broccoli or broccolini. Those are different plants with different flavors. Wait for the season.
2. 2

   Blanch the bundles

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the tablespoon of salt. Drop the bundles in and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the buds turn deep green and the stems bend easily. Lift them out with a spider and lay them on a clean kitchen towel. Press another towel on top to draw out the water. They need to be as dry as you can get them or the batter will not stick. La cocina no es decoración, es trabajo.

3. 3

   Build the caldillo base

   Heat a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles separately, about 20 seconds per side, until the skin puffs and the kitchen fills with that warm chile-vendor smell. Move them to a heatproof bowl and cover with hot tap water. Hot, not boiling. Soak for 15 minutes. On the same comal, char the tomatoes, the onion piece, and the unpeeled garlic until the tomato skins blister and split and the garlic skins turn brown.

   Charring the tomatoes on a dry comal, not in oil, is how the caldillo gets its smoky backbone. Roasted tomatoes in the oven will not do the same thing. The direct flame contact matters.
4. 4

   Blend and fry the caldillo

   Peel the garlic. Drain the chiles. Put the charred tomatoes, onion, peeled garlic, drained chiles, and one cup of the water or broth in a blender. Blend until completely smooth, about one minute. In a 10-inch cazuela or heavy saucepan, melt the tablespoon of manteca over medium-high heat. Pour the puree in through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids. It will sputter. Fry the sauce for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens and the fat separates around the edges. La manteca es el sabor. Add the remaining cup of water, the epazote sprigs, and the teaspoon of salt. Lower the heat and let it simmer gently while you make the tortitas.

5. 5

   Stuff the bundles

   Open each huauzontle bundle slightly with your fingers. Press a strip of queso Oaxaca lengthwise into the center, then squeeze the bundle closed around it so the cheese is hidden inside the buds. Set the stuffed bundles on a plate. The cheese should be tucked all the way in. Any cheese sticking out will leak into the oil and burn.

6. 6

   Make the capeado

   In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites with the 1/4 teaspoon salt until they hold stiff peaks. Stiff, not foamy. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down. Add the yolks one at a time and beat just until incorporated, no more than 15 seconds. This is the capeado, the egg cloud that wraps every fried Mexican vegetable from chiles rellenos to tortitas de papa. Overbeating after the yolks go in collapses the whites. So does waiting too long to fry.

   Room temperature whites whip higher than cold ones. If you forgot to take the eggs out, set them in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes before separating.
7. 7

   Fry the tortitas

   Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Test it with a drop of batter: it should sizzle and float immediately. Dredge each stuffed bundle in flour, tapping off the excess. Hold it by the stem, dip it into the capeado so the buds are fully coated, and lower it gently into the hot oil. Fry two or three at a time. Spoon hot oil over the tops as they cook. Turn after 90 seconds, when the underside is deep gold. Fry the other side for another minute. Lift out and drain briefly on a wire rack. Do not stack them or the capeado deflates.

8. 8

   Simmer in the caldillo

   Taste the caldillo. It should be bright, slightly smoky, and assertively seasoned because the tortitas are mild. Adjust the salt. Lower the heat under the caldillo to its gentlest simmer. Lay the fried tortitas into the sauce in a single layer. Spoon the caldillo over the tops. Simmer uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes, just long enough for the tortitas to drink in the sauce without going soggy. The capeado should turn the color of the caldillo at the edges and stay golden in the center.

9. 9

   Serve at the table

   Bring the cazuela to the table. Serve two or three tortitas per person with plenty of caldillo, warm corn tortillas, and a pot of beans on the side. The tortillas are not optional. You tear them and use them to push the tortita through the sauce. That is how this dish is eaten in central Mexico and that is how you should eat it. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Huauzontle is seasonal. In Mexico it appears from January through April and is heaviest during Cuaresma. If you live outside Mexico, look in Mexican mercados or specialty produce shops during those months. Do not substitute broccolini, broccoli rabe, or asparagus. None of them are huauzontle and the dish you make will not be this dish.
• •Queso Oaxaca is the cheese for this. It melts in long strings and it is mild enough to let the huauzontle taste like itself. If you cannot find it, low-moisture mozzarella is a compromise, not an upgrade. Do not use cheddar. Do not use anything yellow.
• •The bundle has to be dry before it meets the batter. Wet huauzontle sheds its capeado in the oil and you end up with naked bundles floating in a slick of egg. Press them between towels. Be patient. This is the step most cooks rush and most cooks regret.
• •The capeado is a clock. Whip the whites, fold in the yolks, fry immediately. If you leave the batter sitting on the counter for ten minutes while you do something else, it deflates and you start over.

Advance Preparation

• •The caldillo can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. The flavor deepens overnight. Reheat gently before adding the tortitas.
• •The huauzontle can be cleaned, blanched, and dried up to four hours ahead. Keep covered with a damp towel at room temperature.
• •The tortitas themselves must be fried and sauced the same day. The capeado does not hold and reheated tortitas turn rubbery. This is a same-day dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)