Tortas

Kristi's husband--DJ--served his mission in Mexico. I don't know how, but I remember him telling us about these stands where you could buy sandwiches. While I was searching for a recipe to use up my round steak, I stumbled upon a recipe and it clicked! I decided I had to try it. I liked it because it's a little different from typical American sandwiches. I asked him about it later and he said there are all kinds--he specifically mentioned pineapples.

I looked it up online and found this in Wikipedia. Maybe too much information, but I never had heard of these before:

A torta is a Mexican sandwich, served on an oblong 6-8 inch firm, crusty white sandwich roll, called a bolillo, telera or birote. Tortas can be served hot or cold. Common ingredients may include, but are not limited to:

Al pastor: (marinated pork)
Alambre: (steak, bacon, onion, pepper and cheese)
Carne asada: (marinated steak)
Carne deshebrada: (shredded beef)
Carnitas: (fried tender pork)
Chile relleno: (white cheese-stuffed Anaheim or poblano green pepper fried in egg batter)
Choriqueso: (Chorizo with cheese)
Cochinita pibil: (pork loin in orange sauce)
Camarón: shrimp
Huevo con salchicha: (sausage and scrambled egg)
Huevo con Jamón: (Ham and scrambled egg)
Huevo con tocino: (Bacon and scrambled egg)
Huevo con Bolonia: (Bologna and scrambled egg)
Chilorio:(pork fried in chile sauce)
Jamón: Ham
Lengua: beef tongue
Milanesa: (breaded steak)
Pescado: fried fish
Pechuga de pavo: turkey breast
Pollo: chicken

Some styles include:
Cubana: Inspired by the popular Cuban sandwich. Typically includes a wide variety of ingredients: ham, white cheese, scrambled eggs, sausage, milanesa and chipotle.
Torta ahogada: a sandwich filled with carnitas and submerged in sauce. Very popular in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Garnishes such as avocado, sour cream, lettuce, jalapeño, tomato, and cheese feature in various incarnations of the sandwich. The dish is popular throughout Mexico, and is also available anywhere with a large number of Mexican immigrants.

So there you go! And here is the recipe!

Tortas
(Allrecipes)

4 (3 ounce) thin-cut beef round steaks
4 Mexican-style sandwich rolls (bolillos)
1/4 cup sour cream, divided
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed - divided
2 avocados - peeled, pitted and sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
2 pickled jalapeno peppers, sliced into quarters lengthwise
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce, divided
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 cup crumbled queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese), divided
1 lime, quartered

Directions
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and pan-fry the round steaks 5 minutes on each side, or to desired doneness. (Since I used round steak, and it's a tougher meat I slow cooked mine. First I seasoned it with garlic salt and browned it for a few minutes on both sides. Then, I added a cup of water and let it simmer on low for a few hours.)

Slice the rolls lengthwise. Spread about 1 tablespoon of sour cream onto one side of each roll, and top with about 1/3 cup of mashed pinto beans per sandwich. Place a cooked round steak per sandwich on top of the pinto beans, and then layer each sandwich with one-fourth of the avocado slices, tomato slices, and sliced pickled jalapenos, about 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce, 1/4 cup of cilantro, and 1/4 cup of crumbled queso fresco cheese. Squeeze a lime wedge over each sandwich, close, and serve.

I actually found bolillos in the bakery section of Macey's. I was a little surprised. After I sliced it, I spread butter on it and toasted it stove top.

As for the cheese--the deli didn't have it. But, I found out it's like a crumbly mozzarella. So, I opted for some American cheese. My taste isn't all that fancy and it doesn't really seem to matter to me.

So, play around and have fun. Ole'!