Panuchos

We recently spoke with Mexican chef Santiago Lastra, who, later this year is set to open his London restaurant Kol, which will combine British ingredients with the traditional flavours of his homeland.

He shared with us his recipe for Panuchos, a stuffed tortilla dish thought to date back over two centuries to the Yucatan city of Merida, specifically, to a small lodging and restaurant that predominantly served as a rest stop for travellers on their way to Campeche.

One night a weary patron arrived in search of a meal, and due to the late hour and the resultant lack of ingredients, Don Hucho, the proprietor of the establishment, hastily constructed a sandwich from what he had available, bread, strained beans, and a boiled egg.

His creation was a success, and subsequently became a favourite amongst locals, who christened it the ‘Panucho’, an abbreviation of ‘Pan de Hucho’ (Hucho’s Bread).

Later, due to the widespread proliferation of corn, the bread would be replaced by tortillas, and today, variants are found throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, though typically consist of tortillas stuffed with refried black beans, and topped with pulled meat or cactus, pickled red onion, and avocado.

Santiago’s version stays true to the traditional techniques and flavours, but, in keeping with his ‘localized’ ethos, substitutes Mexican ingredients for British ones. E.g. a combination of asparagus and seaweed instead of Nopal (cactus).

Time 50 minutes

Makes 6 Panuchos

Ingredients

Panuchos

100g of masa harina

120ml of water

6 asparagus spears

1 dash of rapeseed oil

20g of dried seaweed, such as dulse

1 tsp butter [optional]

6 radishes, pickled, or 6 tsp sauerkraut

Fresh herbs, or radish tops, to garnish

Pumpkin Seed Filling

60g of pumpkin seeds

1 bird's eye chilli, green

1 tsp rapeseed oil

5g of parsley, blanched

Sea salt, to taste

Arbol Salsa

1 tsp chile de árbol, ground

1/4 onion

6 cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

Sea salt, to taste

Instructions

Pour boiling water over the dried seaweed and set aside to rehydrate. Meanwhile, place a large dry frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the unpeeled garlic cloves, quarter of the onion and cherry tomatoes. Dry-roast in the pan until blackened and charred all over, then leave until cool enough to handle. Peel the garlic and onion, then set aside.

Make the salsa by placing the chile de àrbol powder in a food processor or pestle and mortar along with the roasted tomatoes, onion and 1 of the garlic cloves. Grind together to make a paste, then season with salt and set aside.

For the filling, heat the rapeseed oil in a small pan then add the pumpkin seeds, green chilli and remaining roasted garlic clove. Fry until the seeds become toasted, then transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor or pestle and mortar. Add the parsley and 60ml of the water used to soak the seaweed, then blitz with a pinch of salt. Set aside.

To make the panuchos, combine the masa harina and water together to create a dough. Divide this mixture into 6 balls, weighing approx. 35g each, then use a tortilla press or 2 sheets of greaseproof paper and a rolling pin to roll each ball into a tortilla. Cook the tortillas in a dry pan until they puff up; at this point, slice them open and spread with the pumpkin seed filling. Reserve the panuchos under a tea towel to prevent them drying out.

Cook the asparagus spears in a pan with the butter and oil for a few minutes until tender, then cover and leave to finish cooking off the heat for 5 minutes. Drain the rehydrated seaweed and chop together with the asparagus spears.

To serve, reheat the panuchos briefly, then add the asparagus and seaweed on top. Garnish with the pickled radishes (or sauerkraut), finish with the radish tops or herbs, then serve with the salsa on the side.

See our interview with Santiago Lastra. Here

Poppy MistAugust 31, 2020