When my kids were younger, my husband and I spent most of our summers on road trips, bumping down Mexican highways, visiting relatives, or exploring archeological sites that we wanted to see. For the most part, the kids were always with us, climbing pyramids, examining jungle flowers and unfamiliar plants, eating new foods, or riding wedged between huge cardboard boxes of treasures we had purchased in the local craft markets. From the very beginning, these little guys have always been good sports.
One particular trip to Tlaxcala, we were visiting a friend who runs a fighting bull ranch. Our boys had spent most of the day hiking around the hacienda, and were completely exhausted. My husband and I needed to pop out to town on an errand (I forget what it was, maybe the errand was simply the act of “popping out” for a bit) so my friend offered to keep the boys. After our town errand was completed, my husband and I realized we were famished. Just over the railroad tracks, on the edge of an open field, was a trailer that sold tortas or Mexican style sandwich rolls. We pulled in and decided to order.
We sat down on stools under the sputtering, swinging fluorescent lights. Their specialty was Tortas de Milanesa, so we ordered two. The owner busied herself behind the counter, dressed in her checkered pinafore apron, moving plastic tubs from here to there. The truckers and traileros around us were chatting in the cool evening breeze, occasionally checking the TV overhead that was rerunning an episode of Maria Mercedes. I can still hear the crickets and frogs chirping in the ditch nearby.
Before I knew it, our tortas arrived. Lightly breaded beef cutlets, thin, tender and crispy, and positively overloaded with local avocados, thick blobs of creamy mayonnaise, home pickled carrots, jalapeños and cebolla encurtida. The telera style roll cracked with every bite. My senses swooned with the aromas of toasted wheat and savory meat…the sandwich crunched with hot and sour vegetables. Our tortas disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, and we found ourselves ordering another round.
We savored every bite of our second torta, and washed it down with the last swig of our favorite apple soda. Ever so slowly, we paid our bill, got back unto the pick-up, and headed back into the starry blue night towards the hacienda. It was one of my most favorite meals ever.
- 4 portions beef round steak, sliced 1/4” thick (about 2.5 oz each)
- 1 cup of vegetable oil for frying
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 large bread rolls, split lengthwise
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 ounce queso fresco
- 1 avocado, sliced