Bricia Lopez's Black Bean and Oaxacan Cheese Memelas
Usually, the tortillas in Oaxaca are very thin, but memelas are a little thicker. Still on the thin side but with a little bit of bite, says Bricia Lopez, whose family owns Guelaguetza, one of the best Oaxacan restaurants in the country.
“Memelas are essentially a thicker tortilla that we pinch around†the edges, says Lopez, who layers them with aciento for fat and texture, black bean pureed with avocado leaves and then refried, Oaxaca cheese and a red salsa. Served warm, straight from the pan, they’re delicious breakfast food.
“The secret to a great memela is that when we flip it, we start pinching it,†Lopez says, “and then you prepare it right on the comal. All the fat and all the cheese and all the salsa have to come together as one.â€
A tip from Lopez: A great substitute for aciento is duck fat. “I mean, it’s duck fat, and who doesn’t like that?â€
Make the aciento: Put the chicharron, olive oil, salt and roasted garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
Make the salsa: In a comal or large cast-iron skillet under medium heat, add the chiles, tomatillos and garlic. Mix well and toast until tomatillos are blistered and the garlic and chiles are toasted, about 10 minutes. Remove peel from the garlic once it is toasted.
In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat and add chiles. Let soak for 30 minutes. When softened, remove chiles and reserve; discard the water.
Add soaked chiles, tomatillos and garlic to a blender jar. Blend until smooth and add salt to taste.
Make the memelas: Put the masa harina in a large bowl. In a separate container, stir the hot water and salt until the salt is dissolved. Pour the salted water over the masa harina, kneading masa harina and salted water together until it is a dough-like consistency; it should be moist but not stick to your hands. Assemble the masa into balls weighing 55 grams each and set aside.
Press each one individually on a plastic-lined tortilla press. Each ball should be about 5 inches after pressing.
Bring the comal or a cast-iron pan to medium heat. When the pan is hot, carefully transfer each memela to the comal, cooking each side for about 2 minutes until the memela is fully cooked. Remove from the comal.
Spread about ½ teaspoon of aciento on each memela and layer with 1½ teaspoons of black beans on top. Place back on the hot comal, bean side up, until the bottom gets a bit crispy, and top with crumbled queso fresco (or queso oaxaca, pulled into strings) and salsa as desired. Cook for about a minute until the queso and salsa have warmed. Remove from heat and serve hot.
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