Hot Tortas
Quesillo (Oaxacan cheese), American cheese, and manchego all melt beautifully, while Mexican meats (carnitas, chorizo, or pierna, made from pork shank,) crisp up on the flat top. Stuffed into the soft telera, insides buttered, spiked with pickled jalapeños, tempered with refried beans, and garnished with a few fresh vegetables, the hot torta stands with the other kings and queens of the sandwich world: the po’boy, the cheesesteak, the hoagie, and the Uruguayan Chivito.

As with any of the great sandwiches of the world, the many moving parts of a hot torta can be subbed in or out, offering customizable sandwiches and a lexicon of different combinations. As Santibañez says in Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales “nearly anything can become a torta.”

Usually made with skirt steak, its flat surface on the griddle achieves the maximum amount of charred meat flavor, which makes the perfect foil for the creamy avocado that serves as its partner-in-crime inside the bolillo roll, spread with beans and crema—or possibly mayonnaise.

Until the 1960s, the cold torta was the only kind of torta in Mexico. Cold tortas are simple; all about showing off the ingredients—ham, cheese, mortadella, or even salt cod—rather than boasting about just how many they have. In his Gran Libro de Tortas, Roberto Arturo Ayala T. (not a big believer in the hot torta) says “really, all tortas should be cold, made from that day’s bread.” The basic torta is made on a telera roll: a soft white roll, usually seven to nine inches long, recognizable for its three humps. The roll is split open, with the much of the bread pulled from the inside of the top, allowing more room for the filling to take over as the prominent flavor. Refried beans are spread inside the top, while the chosen filling is stacked with lettuce, tomato, and pickled jalapeños. Tellez mentions that those pickled jalapeños, present on most tortas in Mexico, are one of the foods she most misses from Mexico, and wishes she could find in New York (where she has yet to find a torta up to her standards.)

The palm-sized torta at La Texoacana offers a glimpse at the tiny, traditional, cold tortas of yore. By the time it was written up in the New York Times in 2007, the tiny Mexico City storefront was already more than seven decades old. The fillings haven’t got caught up in the modern (hot dog) or Western (mayonnaise) trends that other tortas have. Salt cod is popular, along with sardine in tomato sauce, and mortadella. More of a snack than a meal (or three) that are the heaping “tortas gigantes” plying the street carts, the telera here is barely more than five inches long, spread with avocado and garnished with chipotle peppers.

Another of Mexico City’s grandly indulgent style of sandwiches is the pepito. It forgoes the amalgam of meat products that make up the Cubana in favor of one great meat: sliced, grilled steak, marinated in Maggi sauce or Worcestershire.  It is a sandwich that has fully embraced some of the newer, Western elements tortas have absorbed: As a “seasoned pepito eater,” Santibañez suggests in his recipe that it is best served with mayo and even a little mustard.

According to El Gran Libro de Tortas, the warm version of the torta came about when a gay couple, who had been asked to leave a restaurant, heated up the previous day’s cold bread for their meal, calling it “tortas al fuego.” Today, a cart serving this type of torta seems to grace nearly every street corner in Mexico City (many painted with just those words “tortas al fuego”), and it is the sandwich that has most easily made the leap into everyday American life.

Like the cold torta, it is generally made on a telera, the three-humped white bread, or on a bolillo, a similar roll with just a single cut in the top, and with rounded edges. Post-split, the inside is spread with lard or butter, then griddled, prior to adding the beans. Setting it apart from many hot sandwiches, the torta doesn’t see heat as a whole, but rather the bread, cheese, and meat are each griddled separately, then stacked into the sandwich.

In fact, when he begins to discuss them, he gets right into the nitty gritty, arguing that translating the word torta to “sandwich” is like describing a Rembrandt masterpiece as a portrait—accurate, but not doing justice.

Like the bánh mì (the Vietnamese sandwich that’s selling books and driving fast food innovation), tortas are a remnant of French colonialism. (Yes, the French were in Mexico, as anyone who has toasted to the Pueblan victory over the French on the fifth of May should be well aware.) Instead of inheriting the crisp, crackling baguettes of Paris, though, in the years since the 1862 defeat of the French, Mexican sandwiches adapted to soft rolls called bolillos, and then on to the three-humped telera and flat pambazo. Like the supple tortillas you find in tacos, Mexican breads provide a soft, subtle flavor to contain the brilliantly-flavored meats that are the calling-card of the cuisine.

The taco and the torta are the twin pillars of Mexican street food, but where the taco is small and sexy and has long since seduced all of America in its many forms, the torta (with its many Mexican sandwich siblings) is just teetering on the brink of international stardom. The small size of a taco makes it an easy step into new flavors, but a sandwich is a meal, it’s a commitment to the milanesa, the carnitas, or the pierna (pork leg) inside. But it’s a commitment spread with butter and refried beans, topped with creamy avocado or delightfully addictive spicy peppers, and piled with any of an endless array of flavorful meats and cheeses. The Mexican sandwich takes the same taco flavors and turns them up to eleven, offering a world of fluffy buns and spicy meats that no food lover should leave uneaten.

Back in 2005, Rick Bayless was still introducing Mexican “submarines” with extensive explanation in his book Mexican Everyday. Four years later, he’d open his own torta shop, called Xoco, and bring tortas to a much wider crowd. By 2012, Roberto Santibañez didn’t even feel the need to explain what a torta is in the introduction to his book Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales

“Tacos are dinner food,” Lesley Tellez says. Tortas, on the other hand, are a lunch food, made to eat on the go (you’ll rarely see seats at a torta stand, she points out), hard to find before noon, and often shutting down before sunset. Tellez, who runs Eat Mexico, a street food tour company in Mexico City, and has written a forthcoming book on Mexican food, says that a torta is essentially a “big, fat, messy Mexican sandwich.” It boasts an array of salty, sour, spicy, and even sweet flavors. “Con todo,” (with everything) is the way to order a torta, says Tellez, meaning that the diner would like whatever toppings (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, spicy pickled peppers) are available. Santibañez concurs, offering his theory that “the torta took all the foods people already loved and made them portable.”

The Mexican palate, Tellez explains, finds the stuff of American sandwiches (turkey, tomato, and cheese, for example) too boring. “[Mexicans] want a different experience, more intense, more in your face,” she says, though she follows up by pointing out that now Mexican street food is growing in popularity in the US. As people want to learn more about other cultures, Tellez says, eating the big, layered, complex sandwiches are an affordable way to explore.

To make the rub, mix together black pepper, coriander, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dill weed, mustard, celery seed, and crushed red papper in a small bowl. Coat entire brisket with the rub.

Fire up smoker or grill to 225°F, adding chunks of smoking wood chunks when at temperature. When wood is ignited and producing smoke, place brisket in, fat side up, and smoke until an instant read thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted into thickest part of the brisket, about 6 hours.

Transfer brisket to large roasting pan with V-rack. Place roasting pan over two burners on stovetop and fill with 1-inch of water. Bring water to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium, cover roasting pan with aluminum foil, and steam brisket until an instant read thermometer registers 180 degrees when inserted into thickest part of the meat, 1 to 2 hours, adding more hot water as needed.

Transfer brisket to cutting board and let cool slightly. Slice and serve, preferably on rye with mustard.

Special equipment
Smoker, Roasting Pan

Pick out foreign matter from the peas before placing them in a large bowl, cover generously with water and soak uncovered, at room temperature overnight, adding more water if necessary.

Drain peas, and place them along with the other ingredients and 2 tablespoons water in a food processor. Pulse until the peas are finely ground, about the size of couscous. Roll about 1 tablespoon of the batter into a ball between your palms.

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot to 350°F. Carefully deep fry each ball until golden brown, about 5 minutes each. They will fall to the bottom and rise during the frying. Serve hot stuffed in a pita or by themselves, covered in tahini sauce.

To make the cure, in a small bowl mix together salt, pink salt, black pepper, coriander, sugar, bay leaf, and cloves. Coat entire brisket with the cure and place in an extra-large resealable plastic bag. Place in the coldest part of the refrigerator and cure for 4 days, flipping brisket twice a day.

This Montreal smoked meat was made to correct the omission of steaming in my pastrami—fixing a problem has never been so delicious.
For the Cure
1 cup Kosher salt
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
3 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoons pink salt, such as Prague Powder #1
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 whole brisket, around 12-14 pounds, fat cap trimmed to ⅛-inch
For the rub
3 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dill weed
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2-3 fist-size chunks of medium smoking wood, such as oak or hickory
Type of fire: Indirect
Grill heat: Low

Remove brisket from bag and wash as much cure off as possible under cold running water. Place brisket in a large container and fill with water and let soak for 2 hours, replacing water every 30 minutes. Remove from water and pat dry with paper towels.

What worked: Each of these falafel’s deep brown and crunchy exteriors gives way to a warm, fragrant, and tender center. They’re fairly easy to make, and miles better than the leaden pucks masquerading as food in many a Middle Eastern wrap.

What didn’t: I couldn’t eek out 24 falafels from the recipe (more like 18), and they cooked a bit more quickly than advertised (4 minutes instead of 5). If you’re a big falafel eater (or feeding a crowd) double up on the recipe for sure.

Suggested tweaks: You can fry these and reheat them in the oven if necessary. 350 for 8 to 10 minutes does the trick. As written, the falafels are fairly spicy; if you’re looking to tone it down, reduce the chili flakes to 1/4 or 1/8 teaspoon.

1 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 medium-sized onion, quartered
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 clove garlic, peeled
3 springs of fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon red hot pepper flakes or 1 whole hot chile pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying

I eat a lot of falafel. It can come from a cart, a restaurant, or even a deli case; I don’t really discriminate. But I probably should be more picky because most of the falafel isn’t great. So much of the falafel out there is greasy and falling apart or dense and dry.

But after making King of Falafel & Shawarma’s falafel recipe in Alexandra Penfold and Siobhan Wallace’s new cookbook, New York a la Cart, I may stop buying my falafel pre-made (unless of course I happen to be in Astoria and can visit the Falafel King himself).

These falafel are made properly, with soaked dried chickpeas and a whole party of spices. Rolled into small balls and fried for just a few minutes, they emerge crisp-tender and fragrant. They’re perfect in pita sandwiches or eaten one by one, with your hands, dipped into a giant bowl of tahini.

Why I picked this recipe: Falafel is probably my favorite street food. Making this version was a no-brainer.

When making pita bread, I like to knead the dough by hand. That’s in part because I like the feel of the dough (what can I say?), but also so that I can sense how much gluten is being developed. We want a well-developed dough with plenty of gluten, so that it will stretch out as it puffs in the oven.

We also don’t want the dough to be too dry, since it needs moisture to puff. If you knead the dough on a board, it’ll seem very sticky, and you’ll be tempted to add too much extra flour—which is not a good thing, since it will soak up and trap some of that necessary moisture.

Try as I might, I never could get my oven to produce the beautiful charred look of a pita that’s baked in a scorching hot wood-fired oven. Even the broiler is too finicky to yield consistent results, sometimes burning the surface.

The solution? Char the pita in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop after baking. Not only do the pitas look a lot better that way, but the charring adds a layer of smoky flavor.

Now all you need is a big ol’ plate of hummus.

A very hot oven is a must in order to get that quick burst of steam inside. If the oven temperature is too low, steam won’t puff the pitas, and you’ll end up with duds. Turn the oven as high as it will go, and preheat the oven with a baking steel or stone,* which retains heat, thus aiding in the creation of steam.

Keep kneading for about 10 minutes. What you’re looking for is good gluten development: The dough should be soft but stretchy, yet not as tight as a wad of well-chewed gum. If you pull on the dough, you should feel some resistance. Does all this manual labor sound massively boring to you? Okay—you can use a stand mixer instead, especially if you’re doubling the batch. Use a dough hook and mix at low speed for eight minutes.

Roll out the pitas to no more than a quarter inch in thickness. This is one of the most important rules, since the dough needs to be thin enough that the heat can quickly penetrate to the center, creating that blast of steam and expanding the pocket before the dough becomes too rigid.

If the dough is too thick, it’ll get overly firm before the heat of the oven can swell the center. The photo below shows what happens when the pita is too thick. No puff!

This needs to happen quickly—in a mere two to three minutes—so don’t go running off when the pitas are baking. As soon as they puff, they’re done. Over-baking will leave them hard and dry.

If you don’t own a baking steel or stone, you can bake the pitas in a cast iron skillet instead. After rolling out the pitas, try not to tear the dough before baking. Doing so can create a weak point that may fail as the pita puffs, preventing it from fully expanding. Notice that the pita on the left here, which went into the oven with a slight tear, isn’t puffing like the other: Over the course of years of making pitas, I began to notice a tendency for the pita to end up with a much thinner top than bottom after it comes out of the oven. Eventually, I realized that this has to do with pockets of air rising to the surface of the dough during the final proofing step.

The solution: Flip the dough right before baking, and set it top side down on the baking stone. (This trick also guarantees an even distribution of air holes in ciabatta bread.) You know those pitas that crack when you try to open them up, making them impossible to stuff properly? It’s because they’ve dried out too much. To prevent that, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel as soon as they come out of the oven. The cloth traps just enough moisture, while also allowing the pitas to breathe; use plastic, and they’ll sweat and get soggy.
Try as I might, I never could get my oven to produce the beautiful charred look of a pita that’s baked in a scorching hot wood-fired oven. Even the broiler is too finicky to yield consistent results, sometimes burning the surface.

The solution? Char the pita in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop after baking. Not only do the pitas look a lot better that way, but the charring adds a layer of smoky flavor.

Now all you need is a big ol’ plate of hummus.

The best way to do it, therefore, is to knead the dough directly in the mixing bowl. Make sure that your hands are clean!

To do that, lift up the top half of the shaggy mass, pull it toward you, then fold it over on itself. Next, use your fingers or the heel of your hand to push the dough away from you. Give the bowl a quarter turn, then repeat the process.
It’s okay if the dough sticks to the bottom of the bowl, but if it sticks too much to the sides, you can use a plastic scraper to free it. Though it’ll still feel tacky at this stage, you’ll notice it becoming less so while you continue to knead, as the gluten develops and the flour becomes more hydrated from the liquid. Add only a very small amount of flour if the whole thing just seems too wet and sticky.

There are dozens of alternatives today for those who do not want to use refined white flour.
Until recently there were only a few types of flour that we could use in place of refined white flour; whole wheat, oats, rye, in some cases rice and corn… However, the awareness of healthy nutrition that has increased in recent years has brought many new types of flour. There are also easy-to-find ones, and high-priced ones like chestnut and almond flour. What are the benefits among so many innovations; which do not contain gluten; Questions like which one to use, for what and how come to mind.

Siyez and Kavılca flour

We are very lucky, we can find flours produced from the ancestral wheat types Siyez and Kavılca more easily. Unlike white flour, and like whole wheat, they are both ground with germ and bran in them. For this reason, they are extremely rich and satisfying. Their protein content is higher than modern wheat. Since their glycemic index is low, they do not affect our blood sugar negatively. In addition, these flours have very low gluten rates. Bread made with flours produced from Siyez and Kavılca gives a delicious and satisfying result.

Raw materials such as milk, yoghurt, eggs, corn, wheat flour, barley flour, rye flour, chickpea, lentil, cranberry, ready-made or sourdough, tarhana grass, spice mixtures, cream, vegetable mixes are available in different amounts and mixes in tarhanas produced in Anatolia. Despite these differences in its production, its basic raw material is yoghurt and wheat grain or flour.

If you happen to be in Adana, Kahramanmaraş and Antep regions, you will come across a type of tarhana, which is a mixture of yoghurt and boiled wheat, called “Top Tarhana, Squeezed Tarhana, Yumruk Tarhana” prepared in July and August. Tarhana produced in these regions is also called “white tarhana” due to its external appearance. As in some regions of the Aegean Region and Western Black Sea, a mixture of tomatoes, onions and peppers is not included in tarhana.
In Adana Pozantı and Mersin Silifke areas, while preparing tarhana, wheat, which is called as pounding, splitting or toothed, is boiled with a little salt and water. Some families use milk instead of chickpeas or water during boiling. When this boiled mixture reaches room temperature, it is mixed with the yoghurt taken from the oil, kneaded thoroughly and left outside to ferment for a night or two. Pieces of fermented tarhana dough are taken off and laid on the sheets and left to dry in the shade. The dried tarhana pellets are placed in cloth bags and stored in light and moisture-free conditions.

Millet flour

Flour made from millet (millet), known as the raw material of boza, can be preferred by those looking for gluten-free flour. Millet flour is rich in B vitamins, magnesium, calcium, potassium and protein. It adds a yellowish color and a sweet aroma to breads and doughs. However, if consumed too much, it can affect thyroid secretion and cause hypothyroidism.

Amarant flour

The amaranth flour, which was used by the Aztecs in their kitchens thousands of years ago, is the choice of those in search of healthy flour in recent years. It is produced from a plant known as “cockscomb”. Protein and fiber loaded amaranth flour is a very satisfying flour. It does not contain gluten. It can be used in almost every dough, pasta, and cookies. In order for bread and cakes to rise, it should be mixed with other flours. It can also be used alone in pan breads and doughs that you do not want to rise.

Buckwheat flour

Buckwheat is actually a plant from the sorrel family, even though it has the word wheat in its name. It contains high levels of protein, one of the important amino acids lysine, fiber, vitamin B1 and E and minerals. It does not contain gluten. Bran contains oleic acid, which is also found in olive oil, which is beneficial for heart and mental health. It gives good results in pastas and dough that you do not expect to swell too much. Since it will give a very saturated result in cakes, it may be necessary to mix it with a flour such as almond flour and lighten it.

Spelled wheat flour

Spelled wheat, also known as “spelled” in English, “dinkel” in German, and spelled in our country, was a variety that had been disappearing until recently due to its difficult and low yield. The flour produced from spelled is one of the most healthy flour types. The taste of spelled flour is slightly sweet and the result is soft. If it is used while making dough, it is necessary to add less liquid. The most important reason behind the preference for being rich in protein and low gluten content.

Rice flour

Rice flour, one of the main ingredients of the Far East Cuisine, does not contain gluten. Those looking for a healthy flour alternative especially prefer whole rice flour produced from brown rice. This flour does not contain gluten. Since its taste is nutty, it adds a different flavor to dishes. It can be used in pastries, to give consistency to dishes, sauces and soups.

Coconut flour

Another gluten-free flour is coconut flour. This flour, which is a by-product of coconut milk production, is loaded with protein and fiber. Since coconuts are naturally slightly sweet, it is possible to use less sugar when using this flour. At the same time, it is necessary to increase the number of eggs and the amount of liquid.

Tarhana content varies in regions such as İskenderun and Mersin Taşucu. Tomato, onion, pepper, mint, thyme and sourdough are also included in the tarhana variety, which is called “flour tarhana” in these regions. Vegetables are simply minced, then cooked with salt and then left to cool. Then sour yeast, yogurt and flour are added to this mixture. The tarhana dough is left to ferment for a week to ten days. The words in the region are “raised”. At the end of the tenth day, lumps of tarhana dough are removed and passed through a sieve or a colander to crumble. The crumbled tarhana is spread on cloths for a few days to dry again.

In districts such as Karabük and Safranbolu, tarhana is especially disappearing, while maniye type tomatoes are used, which are again seeded, reproduced and increased in production. In these regions, vegetables are not boiled and the most important detail is that the tarhana is left to ferment in the house. Grated tomatoes are prepared with the same amount of white flour or whole wheat flour, sourdough, salt and a spice mixture, which is called as the size in the region.

Quinoa flour

Quinoa is a superfood that contains all of the essential amino acids that we need to get from the outside. Produced in South America for thousands of years, quinoa has become preferred all over the world in recent years. Its most important feature is that it contains high amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and is gluten-free. Quinoa flour is a healthy alternative, but it can be problematic in terms of flavor and texture. Grinding the quinoa as a grain and roasting it brings out the nutty taste of quinoa. As with other gluten-free flours, pastries made with quinoa have little elasticity and swelling.

Chestnut flour

Another flour that has been valued in recent years is chestnut flour. Chestnut flour, produced by drying and grinding chestnuts, is also known as “sweet flour” in Italian cuisine. It contains high amounts of protein, fiber and amino acids. It is also rich in vitamins E and B, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. It does not contain gluten. It creates a delicious result especially in chocolate brownies.

How should he hide it?

To give you a few general tips about all these different flours, it’s best to take small amounts and keep them in the fridge because they spoil more quickly than white flour. Ready-made flours sold in markets can sometimes be too expensive. Whichever you prefer, it’s also an idea to take it as grains and grind them at home.

Pro tip: The proper way to measure flour is to spoon flour into your measuring cup and level off the top with a knife. Do not scoop flour into your cups, or you could end up with way too much flour, and dry/tough muffins.

Baking powder and baking soda: These are leavening agents, which help the muffins rise so they are light and fluffy. These ingredients are not the same thing and are not interchangeable, so be careful with your measurements!

Coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil: Instead of butter, these muffins call for oil. I can’t taste either one in the end result. If you use olive oil, I recommend a mildly flavored one, like California Olive Ranch’s Everyday variety.

Solution: Blitz the fresh cranberries in a food processor for a few seconds to break them up. That way, you get delicious little bits of cranberries in every bite. This also allowed me to double the amount of cranberries for maximum cranberry flavor.