Mexican Pork Cemita Sandwiches
By: Leah Rodrigues
Published: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 - 10:26am

Ingredients




For chile-marinated pork
6 dried guajillo chiles
1 dried ancho chile
4 thin (1/2- inch) rib pork chops, bones (1 lb total) discarded
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 whole clove
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, quartered
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
For sandwiches:
4 Mexican cemita rolls or sesame seed hamburger buns
2 avocados
1/2 cup fresh papalo leaves or cilantro leaves
1 1/2 cups Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped
1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced
1 large plum tomato, thinly sliced crosswise

Preparation

1 Discard chile stems and cut guajillo and ancho chiles open lengthwise. Discard seeds and ribs. 2 Heat a dry heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot, then toast chiles, a few at a time, turning and pressing down with tongs, until softened and fragrant, about 10 seconds per side. 3 Transfer chiles to a bowl, then cover with hot water and soak until softened, about 20 minutes. 4 Trim fat and sinews from pork and pound between 2 sheets of wax paper with flat side of a meat pounder or with a rolling pin until meat is about 1/8 inch thick. 5 Heat skillet over low heat until hot then toast cumin, peppercorns, clove, and cinnamon, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 6 Transfer spices to a blender and add vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and soaked chiles with about 1/3 cup soaking water, then blend until smooth. Transfer half of chile paste to an airtight container and chill or freeze for another use, then put remainder in a small bowl. 7 Spread a thin layer of chile paste in middle of a sheet of plastic wrap large enough to wrap all of meat and put 1 pork chop over paste. Spread a thin layer of chile paste on top, then continue layering meat, spreading each piece with chile paste. Wrap stacked pork in plastic wrap and marinate, chilled, at least 2 hours. 8 Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Season pork chops with salt and sauté, in batches, adding more oil as necessary, until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. 9 Toast rolls in the oven until golden brown. 10 In a bowl, lightly mash avocado with a fork, then spread on both sides of rolls. Season avocado with salt, then top with papalo or cilantro. Next layer pork, cheese, chipotles, onion, and tomato.

About


Adapted from epicurious.com.  Most specialty ingredients can be found in Latin markets or online.