Tortas Ahogadas - Mexican Sandwiches With Tomato Sauce

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 3 lbs roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup water
• salt
• 1/4 lb chile (arbol chilies preferred)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• salt
• 8 french rolls, split in half lengthwise (bollilos preferred, mexican bolillos, crusty oval rolls)
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless lamb loin or 1 1/2 lbs lamb shoulder
• 1 onion, cut in half
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig oregano (dried is fine)
• salt

Recipe

• 1 place all tomato sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook until the tomatoes and onions are soft.
• 2 allow to cool, place in blender and puree.
• 3 strain the puree and set aside.
• 4 lightly roast the arbol chiles on a dry griddle, just to the point of fragrance. (do not allow them to char, as this results in a bitter flavor).
• 5 remove the stem and seeds from the chilies.
• 6 place the chiles and remaining chili sauce ingredients in a saucepan; cook until the chilies have softened, remove from heat and allow to cool.
• 7 transfer sauce ingredients to a blender, puree and strain; set aside.
• 8 cook the meat in water to cover with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, oregano and salt to taste.
• 9 when cooked through, remove from cooking liquid and allow to cool.
• 10 shred the meat with two forks, or slice thinly if preferred.
• 11 remove the soft center from the rolls, place on plates, and divide the meat among the rolls.
• 12 bathe each one with tomato sauce (the tortas are easier to eat if the top half is left "dry")
• 13 serve torta on a plate with a lip to prevent messy dripping.