Tostada Borracha Potosina

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for toasting chiles
• •Blender
• •Small clay cazuela or heavy saucepan for the salsa
• •Wide skillet for frying tostadas
• •Wire rack for draining fried tortillas

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the nopales

   Put the nopal strips in a saucepan with the quarter onion, small garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and enough water to cover by one inch. Simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until the nopales turn olive green and lose most of their thick liquid. Drain well and discard the onion and garlic. Do not drown them after cooking. Let them sit in the colander so they dry a little. Wet nopales make a tired tostada.

2. 2

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the chile ancho for about 20 seconds per side, just until the skin softens and smells sweet. Toast the chile cascabel until it darkens slightly and smells nutty. If using chile de arbol, give it only a few seconds. Burned chile turns bitter. Throw it out if it blackens. No me vengas con atajos.

3. 3

   Soak the chiles

   Place the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water, not boiling water. Let them soften for 15 minutes. Hot water wakes the flesh. Boiling water punishes the skin and can make the salsa harsh. Drain them, saving 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid in case the blender needs help.

4. 4

   Roast the vegetables

   On the same comal, roast the tomatoes, onion slices, and unpeeled garlic until the tomatoes blister, the onion browns at the edges, and the garlic softens inside its skin. Peel the garlic. The salsa needs this cooked sweetness because pulque has its own sour edge.

5. 5

   Blend the salsa

   Blend the softened chiles, roasted tomatoes, roasted onion, peeled garlic, pulque, Mexican oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt until completely smooth. If the blender struggles, add a spoonful or two of the chile soaking liquid. Do not make soup. You want a pourable salsa with body, brick red and glossy.

6. 6

   Fry the salsa

   Melt 1 tablespoon of lard in a small clay cazuela or heavy saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the blended salsa. It will sputter. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the color deepens and the salsa coats the spoon. Taste for salt. This frying step marries the chile and pulque. Skip it and the salsa tastes raw. Así se hace y punto.

   Keep the heat moderate. Pulque can turn sharp if you scorch the salsa. You want a steady simmer, not a violent boil.
7. 7

   Refry the beans

   Melt 2 tablespoons of lard in a skillet over medium heat. Add the cooked frijoles bayos, their broth, and the epazote sprig. Mash with the back of a spoon or potato masher until thick and spreadable. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring so they do not stick. Remove the epazote. The beans should hold on the tostada without running over the edge.

8. 8

   Fry the tortillas

   Heat the 2 cups of lard in a wide skillet to 350F. Fry the tortillas one at a time, pressing gently with tongs so they stay mostly flat. Turn once or twice until crisp and pale gold, 45 to 60 seconds total. Drain on a rack or paper towels. Day-old tortillas fry better because they have lost moisture. Fresh tortillas puff and fight you.

9. 9

   Bathe the tostadas

   Keep the salsa warm and loose. Dip each fried tortilla into the salsa for 3 to 5 seconds per side, or spoon salsa over both sides if the tortilla is fragile. The surface should turn red and soften slightly while the tostada still holds its shape. That balance is the whole trick.

10. 10

    Assemble and serve

    Spread each salsa-soaked tostada with a thick layer of refried frijoles bayos. Add the drained nopales, diced white onion, crumbled queso fresco, and cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges and extra salsa borracha in a small cazuelita. Eat while the center still has bite. A tostada borracha waits for nobody.

Chef Tips

• •Use pulque blanco if you can get it from a pulquería or a serious Mexican market. If pulque is impossible, use a light Mexican beer with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Say the truth: it will work, but it will not have the same lactic maguey flavor.
• •The chile ancho should be flexible like leather, not brittle like old paper. The chile cascabel should rattle when you shake it and smell fruity, not dusty. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Do not use flour tortillas. Flour tortillas have their place in the north. This is San Luis Potosí's corn table.
• •The tostada must be large and sturdy. If all you have are thin supermarket tostadas, brush them with warm salsa instead of dipping or they will collapse before you sit down.
• •La manteca es el sabor. You can fry in neutral oil if you must, but the beans and salsa still need a little manteca de cerdo to taste like they came from a potosino kitchen.

Advance Preparation

• •The salsa borracha can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently with a splash of pulque or water to loosen before dipping the tostadas.
• •The frijoles bayos can be cooked 3 days ahead. Refry them on serving day so the texture is thick and fresh.
• •The nopales can be cooked 1 day ahead, drained well, and refrigerated. Bring them to room temperature before assembling.
• •Do not assemble the tostadas ahead. Once the salsa touches the tortilla, the clock starts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)