Tortitas de Papa en Caldillo Conventual

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal for toasting chiles and roasting vegetables
• •Potato masher or ricer
• •12-inch clay cazuela or heavy skillet
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Wide frying skillet

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the potatoes

   Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water by two inches. Add the tablespoon of salt. Bring to a steady simmer and cook until a knife enters the center without resistance, 25 to 30 minutes depending on size. Start in cold water so the potatoes cook evenly from skin to center. Drain well and let them sit until the skins look dry.

2. 2

   Mash with discipline

   Peel the potatoes while they are still warm enough to handle. Mash them in a wide bowl, but do not beat them into glue. You want some texture. Stir in the queso anejo, egg yolks, flour, white pepper, canela, clove, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. The cheese seasons the potato and helps the tortitas hold their shape in the caldillo.

   If the potatoes are watery, spread the mash on a tray for 10 minutes before mixing. Wet potato makes weak tortitas, and weak tortitas collapse in the sauce.
3. 3

   Fold the whites

   Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Fold them into the potato mixture with a firm hand and no panic. This is not cake batter. The whites lighten the tortitas enough to keep them tender, but the potato must still be the body of the dish.

4. 4

   Shape the tortitas

   Dust your hands with flour and shape the potato mixture into 12 small oval patties, each about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. Set them on a lightly floured tray. Chill for 15 minutes if the kitchen is warm. They should feel soft but not loose.

5. 5

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the chile guajillo one at a time, about 20 to 30 seconds per side, just until the skin turns fragrant and flexible. Toast the chile ancho the same way, watching carefully because it has more sugar and can scorch. Do not blacken them. Burned chile makes bitter caldillo, and no amount of tomato will save it.

6. 6

   Soak the chiles

   Put the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water, not boiling water. Let them soften for 15 minutes. Hot water relaxes the flesh. Boiling water toughens the skin and drags bitterness into the sauce. This is the kind of detail the senoras at the market correct before you embarrass yourself.

7. 7

   Roast the tomato base

   On the same comal, roast the tomatoes, onion, and unpeeled garlic until the tomatoes are blistered and soft, the onion has dark spots, and the garlic skins are browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Peel the garlic. Blend the roasted vegetables with the soaked chiles and 1 cup of broth until completely smooth.

8. 8

   Fry the caldillo

   Melt 1 tablespoon lard in a 12-inch clay cazuela or heavy skillet over medium heat. Strain the blended chile tomato sauce directly into the hot fat. It will sputter. Stir and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the color deepens to brick red and the fat begins to shine at the edges. Add the remaining 1 cup broth, the epazote, capers, olives, raisins, and almonds. Simmer gently for 10 minutes and taste for salt.

9. 9

   Fry the tortitas

   In a wide skillet, heat the 1/2 cup lard over medium until a pinch of potato sizzles when it touches the fat. Fry the tortitas in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden and firm enough to lift without breaking. Do not crowd the pan. The lard should kiss the edges, not drown the patties. Transfer them to a rack or brown paper.

10. 10

    Simmer in caldillo

    Lower the fried tortitas into the simmering caldillo in one layer. Spoon sauce over the tops and cook gently for 5 minutes. Do not boil. You are letting the potato drink the chile tomato sauce, not punishing it. Remove the epazote sprig before serving.

11. 11

    Serve from the cazuela

    Take the cazuela to the table and serve two tortitas per person with plenty of caldillo, olives, capers, raisins, and almonds spooned over each portion. Warm corn tortillas belong beside it. Talavera on the table if you have it. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Use chile guajillo that bends a little when you press it. If it cracks like old paper, it is stale. A stale chile gives color before it gives flavor, and that is not enough.
• •Queso anejo is salty, dry, and useful here because it tightens the potato. If you use queso fresco, press it in a towel first so it does not water down the mixture. That is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •This is comida de vigilia, meatless Lenten food, but it uses manteca de cerdo in the Puebla household style. If your household abstains from all animal fat during Lent, use good neutral oil and accept that the flavor will be leaner. I am telling you what changes because that is honest teaching.
• •Do not skip the capers, olives, raisins, or almonds if you want the conventual character. Without them you still have potato tortitas in tomato sauce, but you have removed the cloister pantry from the plate.
• •Epazote is not decoration. It keeps the caldillo from tasting flat and sweet. Add it as a sprig and remove it before serving so it perfumes the sauce without taking over.

Advance Preparation

• •The potatoes can be boiled, peeled, and mashed one day ahead. Refrigerate them uncovered until cold, then cover. Cold mashed potato shapes more cleanly.
• •The caldillo can be made up to two days ahead. Hold back the epazote until reheating so it tastes fresh instead of medicinal.
• •The tortitas can be shaped four hours ahead and refrigerated on a floured tray. Fry them just before simmering, or fry them up to one day ahead and reheat gently in the caldillo.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 390g)