Everyone will say that what sets this iconic Puebla “torta” apart is the bread, the rambunctiously herby pápalo, great cheese and pickled chipotles. The round of bread is perfectly crunchy and crusted with sesame, the herb has a singular flavor (though some say it tastes like a muscley cilantro), the cheese is fresh and rich, and the sweet-sour smoke and spice of the chipotles are unique to Puebla. Add to those a crispy slab of beef, pork or chicken milanesa and more-than-average amount of avocado–well, you see why it’s a stand-out.
Even without the perfect ingredients, though, I think this torta deserves your consideration. I’d recommend you try it with a toasted telera bun (I’d cut the ends off to approximate the cemita’s size). I’d ask for pápalo at your Mexican grocery store and, if they can’t get it, substitute cilantro. And, for sure, I’d make the sweet-sour chipotles.
In Puebla, cemitas are most often constructed with crispy-breaded milanesa. I’m giving the recipe for beef milanesa here, starting with bistec from the Mexican groceries or thin-cut steaks (often called sandwich steaks) from regular grocery stores. Some Puebla cemita eaters leave off the meat altogether or replace it with pickled pigs or beef feet, both of which are in abundance in the markets there. A smear of beans on the roll–as is typical in most Mexican tortas–is part of some cemita versions, though I haven’t included it here.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 Pueblan cemita buns
- About 1 pound thin-cut beef bisteces or sandwich steaks
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- Salt
- 2 1/2 cups (8 ounces) bread crumbs (though fine bread crumbs are common in Puebla, I like the added crunch from panko crumbs)
- Oil to a depth of ½ inch in an extra-large (12-inch) skillet
- 2 large ripe avocados
- A little olive oil
- 5 ounces quesillo (Oaxacan string cheese), pulled into thin strings
- A nice handful of pápalo leaves (or cilantro leaves if pápalo isn’t available)
- About 8 stemmed, sliced Sweet-Sour Pickled Chipotles, plus some of their pickling liquid OR about 4 large, stemmed, sliced pickled jalapeños, plus a little of their pickling liquid
INSTRUCTIONS
Crisp the cemitas. Split the cemitas in half as you would a hamburger bun. Reassemble the buns, tops over bottoms and heat in a 350-degree oven until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove. Reduce the oven’s temperature to its lowest setting.
Make the milanesas. If the meat is thicker than about ⅛ inch, lay it out on your cutting board and flatten it with a meat pounder or heavy pan. For the 3-step breading, lay out 3 wide, deep plates or pie pans. Onto the first, spread out the flour. Into the second, crack the eggs, add 1 teaspoon salt and whip with a fork until completely runny. Spread bread crumbs onto the third. One piece at a time, bread the beef: Press both sides firmly into the flour (pat gently to shake off excess), lay into the egg, use tongs to flip it over, pick it up by one end, letting excess egg drip off, then lay it in the bread crumbs. Scoop up crumbs from around the edge to sprinkle over the top. Press the crumbs into the meat, flip over and press again, making sure it has a generous coating of the crumbs.
Fry the milanesas. Heat the skillet with the oil over medium-high. When hot, fry the milanesas in batches until golden brown, usually about 1 to 1 ½ minutes per side. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and keep warm in a low oven.
Layer the cemitas. Cut the avocados around the pits, twist the two halves apart, remove the pits, scoop the flesh from the skin and cut each half into 8 slices. Lay out the cemita bottoms and top each one with 4 avocado slices. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cut the milanesas into pieces that roughly fit the buns, then lay on a portion of milanesa, a portion of cheese and 4 more slices of avocado. Sprinkle with salt. Finally, top with pápalo, pickled chipotles, a little of the chipotle pickling juices and, if you wish, a final drizzling of olive oil. Cemitas are ready!
