Tortitas de Papa Poblanas en Caldillo de Jitomate

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium pot for boiling potatoes
• •Potato masher or sturdy fork
• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet
• •Blender
• •Wide skillet for frying
• •Shallow Puebla talavera platter or barro rojo cazuela

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the potatoes

   Put the whole potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water by one inch. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a steady simmer and cook until a knife slides through the center without resistance, 25 to 35 minutes depending on size. Start them in cold water so the center cooks before the outside falls apart. Waterlogged potato makes weak tortitas.

2. 2

   Dry and mash

   Drain the potatoes and return them to the warm pot for 2 minutes so the surface moisture leaves. Peel while warm, then mash by hand. Not in a blender. Not in a food processor. You want fluffy potato, not glue. Leave a few small lumps. A señora in the Mercado de la Acocota would not panic over a lump of potato.

   If the potatoes seem wet, spread the mash on a tray for 10 minutes before mixing. Moisture is the enemy of a clean fry.
3. 3

   Mix the masa

   Add the crumbled queso fresco, beaten eggs, breadcrumbs, chopped white onion, cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to the warm mash. Mix with your hands until it holds together when squeezed. The egg binds, the bolillo crumbs absorb extra moisture, and the cheese gives little salty pockets. This is kitchen economy, not decoration.

4. 4

   Shape the tortitas

   Divide the mixture into 12 portions. Shape each into a cake about 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Dust lightly with flour on both sides and set on a tray. Rest for 15 minutes. That short rest lets the crumbs hydrate and keeps the tortitas from breaking in the pan. No me vengas con atajos.

5. 5

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium. Toast the chile chipotle meco for 10 to 15 seconds per side, just until it smells smoky and alive. Do not blacken it. Put it in a small bowl and cover with hot water for 10 minutes. Char the tomatoes, serrano, onion, and unpeeled garlic on the same comal until the tomatoes blister and soften and the garlic gives under your fingers.

6. 6

   Blend the caldillo

   Peel the garlic. Drain the chipotle meco. Blend the charred tomatoes, serrano, onion, garlic, chipotle, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth. This caldillo should taste like tomato with a little smoke behind it. It is not supposed to punish anyone. Not all Mexican food is hot. The lazy people keep saying that because they don't know the market.

7. 7

   Fry the caldillo

   Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide cazuela or saucepan over medium. Pour in the blended caldillo carefully, because it will sputter. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the color deepens and the raw tomato smell disappears. Add the epazote sprig for the last 5 minutes, then remove it. Epazote is strong. It should speak, not shout.

8. 8

   Fry the tortitas

   Heat 1/2 cup oil in a wide skillet over medium until a pinch of flour sizzles on contact. Fry the tortitas in batches, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the edges are golden and crisp and the centers feel set when pressed lightly. Do not crowd the pan. These are Cuaresma tortitas, so the oil is clean vegetable oil. This is not because I fear manteca. La manteca es el sabor, but vigilia has its own rules.

9. 9

   Set in sauce

   Spoon the warm caldillo into a shallow serving cazuela or talavera platter. Lay the fried tortitas into the sauce just before serving so the bottoms drink a little caldillo while the tops stay crisp. Scatter with crumbled queso fresco and cilantro leaves. Serve at once. If you drown them and let them sit, they will soften. Then don't blame the recipe. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Use potatoes that mash dry and fluffy. In Mexico I ask for papa blanca. In the United States, Yukon Gold gives better flavor and russet gives a drier texture. Either works. Waxy red potatoes fight you.
• •Chile chipotle meco is the right chile for this poblano caldillo: tan, dry, smoky, not canned in adobo. If you only have chipotle morita, use one small one and understand the sauce will be sweeter and darker. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •The caldillo should stay light enough to show the tomato. If you add a fistful of chile, you have made another sauce. Good food knows restraint.
• •Do not make the potato mixture in a blender or stand mixer. Overworked potato turns elastic. Mash by hand and stop when it holds together. Así se hace y punto.
• •Serve these with rice, beans de la olla, or a plate of sauteed quelites. Flour tortillas do not belong here. That is northern geography, not the Puebla table.

Advance Preparation

• •The potato mixture can be shaped into tortitas up to 8 hours ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator and dust with flour right before frying.
• •The caldillo can be made one day ahead and reheated gently. Add the epazote only when reheating so it does not turn harsh.
• •Fried tortitas are best the day they are made. To revive leftovers, warm them on a lightly oiled comal until the edges crisp again, then spoon hot caldillo around them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)