Oaxacan tlayudas feed a Super Bowl party or any crowd with ease

Oaxaca, Mexico, is home to the tlayuda, an oversize corn tortilla topped with black beans, cheese, meats and a spate of other ingredients. It’s often folded in half, crisped on a grill, and served with chorizo, thinly sliced grilled beef or pork, or grilled onion and green peppers. Hot sauces or an avocado salsa usually are offered on the side.

Handheld and infinitely customizable, it’s perfect Super Bowl party fare. Super-fresh, extra-large corn tortillas are difficult to find in the U.S., so in this recipe from our cookbook “ Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we use flour tortillas. To feed a crowd with ease, the tlayudas are baked in a hot oven rather than cooked over a live fire.

To make a quick but flavorful filling, we combine canned black beans with chipotles in adobo in the food processor, flavoring the puree with with toasted cumin and coriander and a brightening hit of lime juice. Don’t forget to reserve some of the bean liquid after you drain the cans. And don’t rinse the beans after draining them; the liquid left clinging to them helps create a puree with a silky consistency.

Don’t use Spanish chorizo, which is dry-cured and firm, similar to salami. Mexican chorizo, which is soft and fresh, is the type to use here. Fill the tlayudas to your liking and cut into wedges just before serving. Pickled red onions are an essential topping.

Tlayudas (Oaxacan Quesadillas)

Start to finish:20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil

8 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo sausage (see note), casing removed, crumbled

4 large jalapeño chilies, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces

Four 8-inch flour tortillas

1 cup black bean puree (see following recipe)

4 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)

Shredded lettuce, to serve

Pickled red onions, to serve

Sliced tomato, to serve

Hot sauce to serve

Directions:

Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle position. In a 12-inch cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until barely smoking. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the meat into small bits, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to a paper towel–lined plate; set aside. Add the jalapeños and scallions to the pan, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the chorizo; set aside.

Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons oil onto a rimmed baking sheet and brush to coat the entire surface. Place 2 tortillas on the baking sheet to coat the bottoms with oil, then flip them and coat the second sides. Spread ¼ cup of the bean mixture evenly on half of each tortilla, all the way to the edges. Top the beans on each with ¼ of the cheese, then fold the unfilled half over to cover and press gently to seal. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, beans and cheese.

Place the filled and folded tortillas in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake until the cheese has melted and the bottoms of the tortillas are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer the tlayudas to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully open each and fill as desired with the chorizo-jalapeño-scallion mixture, lettuce, pickled onions, tomato and hot sauce. Re-fold, then cut into wedges. Serve warm.

Black Bean Puree

Start to finish: 15 minutes

Servings: 3 cups

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 15½-ounce cans black beans, drained (do not rinse), ¼ cup liquid reserved

2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

2 teaspoons adobo sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a small skillet over medium, toast the cumin and coriander, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a food processor and add the beans and reserved liquid, chipotle chilies and adobo sauce, lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Process until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, then taste and season with salt and pepper.

EDITOR’S NOTE: For more recipes, go to Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street at 177milkstreet.com/ap