Torta Ahogada (Drowned Sandwich)
De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.
Suggested Use:
De Arbol is a hot chile and a staple in Southwest kitchens. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish. Be adventurous and add them to your next stew or chili along with the other spices. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish.
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
3-1/2 oz chiles de arbol
1 cup white vinegar
2 sprigs oregano
1 clove
1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds
2 cloves galic, peeled and minced
salt to taste
For the torta:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 pounds pork loin, thinly sliced
4 bolillos (Mexican sub rolls)
2 cups refried beans, hot
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 white onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. Mexican oregano
Instructions:
Devein the chiles de arbol and soak them in hot water for about 30 minutes. Drain the chiles and combine all of the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 15-20 minutes. When finished, put all the ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the sauce to remove any large particles and season it with some salt.
On a hot griddle, with some olive oil, saute the sliced pork loin until they are fully cooked. Spread the refried beans on one side of the bolillo, then lay some pork slices on top of the refried beans and top with the tomatoes, avocados, and onion. Top the sandwich with some oregano and generously cover with some of the sauce.