Entomatadas Clásicas con Quesillo y Perejil
(en-toh-mah-TAH-dahs)
El Almuerzo (The Morning Masa Rhythm)
A true Oaxacan morning isn't a three-day marathon; the rhythm beats to the sound of tortillas hitting hot oil, yielding entomatadas bathed in a deeply savory, tomato-rich sauce spiked with a ghost of warm cinnamon and thyme. Unlike their chile-heavy cousins, these take just twenty minutes in a cast-iron skillet until the tortillas blister, but the secret is twofold: you must fry the blended sauce to unlock its depth, and you must skip the cilantro. Shred the whole-milk mozzarella, drown the hot tortillas, and eat.
Before you start
Prepare your assembly station before you begin cooking.
Set up a blender for the sauce, a plate lined with paper towels to drain the flash-fried tortillas, and have your shredded cheese ready to go so you can fold the entomatadas while everything is piping hot.
Ingredients
- Roma tomatoes1 1/2 lb
- dried chiles de árbol3 med
- white onion1/4 med
- garlic2 large
- Mexican cinnamon stick1 small
- fresh thyme2 med
- whole allspice berry1 small
- black peppercorns3 small
- neutral oil or pork lard2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- neutral cooking oil1/3 cup
- corn tortillas12 med
- Quesillo2 cup
- Queso Fresco1/2 cup
- white onion1/4 med
- Mexican crema1/4 cup
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1 cup
Method
- 01
Boil the tomatoes and quickly toast the chiles.
In a medium saucepan, cover the tomatoes with water and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, lightly toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant, then drop them into the boiling tomato water for the last two minutes to soften.
- 02
Blend the tomatoes, chiles, aromatics, and spices into a smooth puree.
Transfer the boiled tomatoes and softened chiles to a blender using a slotted spoon. Add the chopped onion, garlic, cinnamon, thyme, allspice, and black peppercorns, blending on high until completely smooth.
- 03
Fry the sauce in hot oil to caramelize the sugars and build depth.
Heat two tablespoons of oil or lard in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully pour in the blended puree—stand back, it will violently sputter and sizzle—then lower the heat, add salt, and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce deepens to a rich brick red and thickens.
- 04
Flash-fry the tortillas to create a protective lipid barrier.
In a separate small skillet, heat the remaining neutral oil over medium heat. Pass each corn tortilla through the hot oil for 10 to 15 seconds per side just to soften it; skipping this step guarantees the tortilla will disintegrate into mush when it hits the sauce.
- 05
Dip the fried tortillas into the sauce, stuff with cheese, and fold.
Working quickly, submerge a softened tortilla completely into the simmering red sauce. Transfer it to a plate, add a generous pinch of shredded quesillo to one half, and fold it over like a half-moon.
- 06
Garnish generously with crema, queso fresco, onion, and parsley.
Spoon a little extra hot sauce over the folded tortillas to help the cheese melt. Drizzle with crema, scatter the crumbled queso fresco and thin onion slices, and finish with a heavy rain of fresh flat-leaf parsley.
Notes
Do not substitute cilantro for the flat-leaf parsley.
Parsley (perejil) is the authentic regional garnish in Oaxaca for this specific dish, offering a clean, grassy bite that cuts the rich, fried tomato sauce in a way cilantro simply cannot.
Use canned tomatoes if fresh ones are pale and out of season.
A high-quality 28-ounce can of whole peeled or fire-roasted tomatoes is chemically superior to flavorless winter hothouse tomatoes, making this a practical and smart swap for weeknight cooking in the States.
From Cook Oaxacan in America.