Carne Asada Tortas

Hi kids, John this time. Time for some free-form improvisational Mexican cooking. Jewel, where we go when we are out of money, was having a sale on telera rolls aka the bread you make Mexican tortas out of. Having been inspired by the food of this guy at fine locations like Old Orchard and O’Hare airport, I decided to give them a shot at home. 

Carne Asada Tortas (like I said, improvised. Our measurements are rarely reliable anyway, you shouldn’t be trusting them)

Ingredients

1 Mexican telera roll

1/2 lb thin sliced steak (mine was bottom round) 

1/2 of an avocado, sliced

1 red radish, julienne (cut into thin strips for all you rubes out there)

Mexican cheese blend

Sour cream

For the marinade:

1 T olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 T red vinegar

2 T World Market fajita seasoning blend

3 cloves of garlic, smashed

1/2 T Mexican chili powder

1 Serrano pepper, halved and de-seeded

Combine the marinade ingredients and the steak in a plastic bag and marinade overnight or as long as possible.

Keeping the meat in the bag (derp, why would you not do this), pound it thin with a frying pan/brick/truckosaurus hands/heavy object. After you have beaten your meat, heat a skillet over high heat and sear the meat until cooked through, about 1 minute a side. Pile the meat in the center of the pan, cover with cheese and then the top of the telera roll. While the cheese is melting, spread sour cream on the bottom half of the roll, then transfer steaming meat/cheese/bread pile onto it. Garnish with avocado slices and radish and consume while watching the same re-run of Bizarre Foods you’ve watched 86 times this week.