Entomatadas
Tortillas Dipped in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Cheese
One of Eric’s various partners in tomato-growing in 1993 was Chucho Cruz, from Jalapa de Valle. The harvest days back then were memorable. Chucho’s wife Rafaela would meet me in the campo (field) and make food to serve all the workers for comida (midday meal). I have a vivid recollection of us standing in the fields under a tree, the wind blowing from the east while we assembled the entomatadas that had been made from tomatoes just picked, stewed on the spot, and ground by hand on the stone metate. These meals in the campo have been some of the best I have ever eaten in Oaxaca. Serve with Frijoles Negros de Olla and a fried egg for breakfast or, for a heartier meal, with a piece of grilled Tasajo, Cecina, or chicken. I also serve just one entomatada as an appetizer.
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
For the salsa:
2 pounds ripe tomatoes (4 medium to large round or 16-20 plum)
4 chiles de árbol, seeded and stemmed
1 piece Mexican cinnamon, 1 inch long
1 whole allspice
3 black peppercorns
½ teaspoon cumin seed (optional)
1½ tablespoons lard, sunflower oil or vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, diced
1 small head garlic, cloves separated and minced
Pinch of piloncillo or brown sugar
1 sprig Oaxacan oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
Sea salt
To prepare entomatadas:
3 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
16 corn tortillas
8 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
1 medium white onion, halved and thinly sliced
8 sprigs flat leaf parsley, leaves only
Method
For the salsa:
Peel the tomatoes by making an X on the bottom of each and cooking them in 1 quart boiling water for about 4 minutes. Remove them from the pot and let them cool. Reserve the water. Remove the tomato skins and discard.
Toast the chiles on a 10-inch dry comal, griddle or cast-iron frying pan over medium heat, turning once. When their scent is released and they are toasted, place them to soak in the leftover tomato water about 5 minutes, or until they are soft. Toast the cinnamon stick, allspice, peppercorns and cumin seed on the comal briefly, so they don't burn but their flavor is enhanced. Set them aside to cool.
Grind the tomatoes on a metate (or in the blender), adding ½ cup of the tomato water. Grind the soaked chiles and spices in the molcajete or blender using ¼ cup of the tomato water. Add to the tomato mixture.
Heat the lard or oil until smoking in a deep 8-inch heavy frying pan, over medium to high-heat. Add the onions and fry until transparent. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato mixture, then the sugar, oregano, and bay leaf. Stir once or twice, and heat the sauce for about 5 minutes, until reduced somewhat. Add salt to taste.
To prepare entomatadas:
In an 8-inch cast-iron frying pan, heat the oil and fry each tortilla quickly until soft, then turn over with tongs to fry on both sides and drain; do not fry the tortillas too long, or they will harden.
Place each tortilla in the tomato sauce and coat both sides with sauce. Place it on the plate and fold it in half, then in half again to make a triangle. Repeat so that each serving has two tortillas. Spoon a bit more sauce on top, and then garnish each plate with some crumbled cheese, onion slices, and parsley leaves.
Hint: In Oaxaca, the tortillas are not fried because fresh hot tortillas are available. These fresh tortillas are made from nixtamal and can be folded and put in the sauce without falling apart. Tortillas made with masa harina will fall apart if they are not fried first.
