-Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city, the capital of the state of Jalisco -- a sprawling city, home to over 5 million people, the center for Jalisco's art, music, and, of course, food.

[ Up-tempo music plays ] I'm getting my first taste of this thriving city, starting with its most famous creation... Ooh!

...the torta ahogada.

Every bite, it keeps on changing.

Then I'm meeting up with one of the best chefs in the city to see how his gorgeous recipes are changing the way we think about market food.

[ Music continues ] In my kitchen, that torta ahogada inspires another tasty torta.

I'm making bolillos from scratch, a chunky avocado-and-cucumber salad, and an adobo-marinated, slow-cooked pork, tatemado de puerco, to pack on an irresistible torta.

With one, you're done.

-I don't know.

-No?!

You'll have another one?!

-♪ Dame, dame ♪ ♪ Dame tu chocolate ♪ ♪ Dame, dame ♪ ♪ Dame café caliente ♪ ♪ Dame, dame ♪ ♪ Dame tu corazón ♪ ♪ -"Pati's Mexican Table" is made possible by... ♪ -La Costeña -- por sabor.

♪ -♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ -Fud brand cheese -- with traditional Mexican flavor.

-Stand Together -- helping every person rise.

More information at StandTogether.org.

-Mahatma rice lets you unite ingredients and flavors.

Mahatma rice unites.

-King Arthur Baking Company.

Find out more about our masa harina at KingArthurBaking.com.

-Oléico high oleic safflower oil.

-♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ -Tecate.

Mexico is in us.

-FEMSA Foundation.

♪ [ Mid-tempo music plays ] -There are certain foods that you automatically connect to a city, like New York and pizza or Paris and croissants.

For Guadalajara, no question, it's the torta ahogada.

Sure, it starts off looking like a regular, delicious Mexican sandwich, but then it's bathed again and again... and again with three mouthwatering salsas.

[ Music continues ] You can find tortas ahogadas in the many food stands dotted everywhere in Guadalajara.

But this is one of the most popular in the city, and I can't wait to try it.

They're the sons of the Profe Jiménez, who started this stand.

This place has been here for so long and it's so famous, people come from everywhere to try the tortas ahogadas.

-Yeah.

-This is your first day here?

-First day.

Yeah.

-The tortas they make here are legendary.

Like any great sandwich, it all starts with the bread.

Okay.

Is this the -- Oh, it is really hard.

So, tortas ahogadas are made with birote.

The salty, French-inspired rolls called birote are handmade by the thousands in local bakeries just like this one.

They really say that birote, you can only make here.

You can't replicate it.

Some people say it's the weather.

Some people say it's the water.

Some people say it's the people.

Pero you can see how it is.

"Drunken" is "drunk."

-"Drowned."

-"Drowned"!

Mm.

I was saying "drunken torta," but it is really "drowned torta."

But it is really a very famous torta for people that have gotten drunk.

So I guess it's the same thing or they go together.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] The meat for tortas ahogadas are carnitas, of course.

First, the birote gets a swipe of mayo.

Then it's stuffed with yummy carnitas and topped with cilantro and onion.

Then the drowning begins, starting with a chile de árbol salsa, followed by a cold tomato sauce.

Then it all gets drenched in the same -- but this time heated -- tomato sauce.

♪ Ooh!

[ Indistinct conversations ] [ Mid-tempo music plays ] Mmm.

Mm-hmm.

The combination of sauces -- It's the spicy one, then the cold tomato one that tastes fresh, and then the hot tomato one, which is, like, making the bread a little bit soggy.

But because it's so resilient, you can bite and chew into it.

♪ You don't find this in McAllen.

-Not even the bread.

-Did you try it already?

-No.

My wife is eating the torta ahogada thing.

I'm eating the... -Uh, destruido.

-Destruido.

-Ooh!

This is a new thing to me!

This is called a "destroyed."

And it's a crispy taco.

-Sí, claro.

-Uh-huh.

Ooh!

-[ Speaking Spanish ] -You know, that always fascinates me about Mexico.

Like, there's the classics.

You come for the classics.

And then you get to know that there's a new thing that becomes a new classic.

[ Inhales sharply ] Ooh!

Totally my kind of food.

This is so right up my alley.

I'm already in love with this thing.

[ Indistinct conversations ] [ Mid-tempo music plays ] Mmm.

Mmm!

Mmm!

Mmm!

Come for the torta ahogada, stay for the destruido, and then come back again for the torta ahogada.

-I think one of the most famous tortas, not only of Jalisco or the city of Guadalajara, but of the entire country of Mexico, is the torta ahogada.

But there's another category of tortas that in Jalisco goes by the name of lonche.

We're gonna stuff these lonche with a tatemado de puerco.

"Lonche" really comes from the American word "lunch."

To make a lonche really irresistible, you have to have the main feeling be, like, to die for.

You build it and sauce it and really garnish it from the inside.

You're gonna see.

It's really irresistible.

I have here one pound of pork butt that I cut into one-inch chunks.

And I also have one pound of pork ribs that I cut into smaller pieces.

I'm gonna add 1 tablespoon of salt, 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar.

It's going to start breaking down the meat so that it will become really tender.

And it also helps, like, balance the flavors.

Let this meat sit anywhere from an hour to 24 hours.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] Now we're gonna make the adobo.

I'm gonna use four guajillo chilies, which I'm going to stem.

This adobo is gonna have it all, 'cause it's gonna have the chilies, it's gonna have chocolate, vinegar.

And I really think this one is a keeper.

We're gonna toast these guajillo chilies.

We just want them to change color, change texture.

We're gonna start to get some of the fumes of the chilies and the aroma, and that means we're unlocking the flavor of the dried chilies.

Now, I'm gonna use two chiles de árbol.

This is a chile de árbol from Yahualica.

Yahualica is a region in the state of Jalisco that grows these chilies.

The people of Jalisco are really proud about their chile de árbol because it's really unique.

It has a lot of heat.

But what happens with these chile de árbol is that the heat, you feel it and it goes by fast, and then you taste the flavor.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] Doesn't matter if they char too much, because we want that charred flavor.

And talking about charred, that's where the word "tatemado" comes from.

That means to put an ingredient close to the fire until it will almost get burnt but it doesn't get burnt.

We want the toasted ingredients in the boiling water to rehydrate, and I'm going to add two cloves of garlic and fresh ginger.

Oh, I love the smell of ginger.

And you can see how the chilies are starting to go from very dry and almost brittle to kind of plump and meaty.

Now, toasting the dried spices does the same thing as toasting the chilies, so if you have the extra minute, go ahead.

Once I add the oregano and the thyme and the cumin seeds, the moment they hit the hot surface, I can smell the spices.

Like, their essence is getting unlocked with the heat.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] I'm adding four whole cloves, but I'm removing the stem.

And sesame seeds.

We're also toasting an inch of canella.

We're stirring these because we don't the spices to burn.

♪ The chilies are ready and rehydrated.

Also, the garlic and fresh ginger that cooked.

I'm adding about a cup of the cooking liquid.

♪ The last thing I'm adding is Mexican chocolate.

And this was also surprising to me.

Think about caramelized ginger and how that would go with something spicy and something chocolaty.

That's what this is.

It's really good.

You want to find Mexican chocolate.

It has a lot of granulated sugar.

I'm gonna show you.

You can see how grainy it is.

You can see the sugar.

You can see the cinnamon.

I'm going to add 2 ounces of the chocolate.

I mean, the chili and the ginger are loving this right now.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] We're just gonna puree these until completely smooth.

♪ You really want to take the time to puree this, because you have that piece of cinnamon, you have that chocolate.

You want to make sure it's really smooth.

Oh, the color is just gorgeous.

Okay.

So we have the adobo.

And as soon as it cools, I want to pour it onto the meat and rub it all over and then let it sit in this adobo for a while.

[ Down-tempo music plays ] ♪ Look at the color of the adobo.

I mean, this is stunning.

I'm gonna put this in the refrigerator.

And really, this, the more that it sits, the better it gets.

So you can marinate it anywhere from an hour to 24 hours.

♪ It's been a while.

Our meat's going to be in the oven, cooking, until it's completely cooked and tender and the adobo has changed from being this deeply flavorful to insanely flavorful, 'cause it will have cooked with all of the juices from the meat.

Okay.

375 for two hours.

So many people think about tortillas when they think about Mexican food, but we love our bread, too.

And one of Mexico's go-to breads is called a bolillo.

Now, the bolillo is the adaptation of the French baguette.

I'm gonna start by leveling 3 cups of flour.

It's gonna be 3 1/4.

You have to be precise when you're baking.

And then we have 3 leveled teaspoons of instant yeast, 2 1/2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons salt.

So the bolillos have that sweet, salty taste, but it's very balanced and soft.

And then I'm gonna add 1 1/4 cups.

You want to make sure that the water is lukewarm.

We're gonna beat this until it's soft and elastic, so like three to four minutes.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪ See how soft?

And it's a little bit sticky, which you want.

I'm going to cover it, and I'm gonna let it double in size.

It's gonna take anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

And you want to put it in a warm area of your kitchen where it will puff up.

-We've already met the famous torta ahogada.

Mmm!

But Guadalajara's culinary scene goes way beyond that.

Chef Fabián Delgado is expanding local culinary horizons at his contemporary market counter, Yunaites.

Yunaites is located within Guadalajara's Mercado Cuarto.

Throughout my travels in Mexico, I've eaten at many market stands that serve delicious typical local dishes.

But never, ever have I been to a market restaurant like Yunaites.

I just invited myself in the kitchen.

[ Up-tempo music plays ] What sets Fabián apart is how he uses modern culinary concepts while staying firmly connected to his roots and the people who supply the raw materials for his innovative dishes.

Doña Vicky!

Ooh!

Yeah.

[ Music continues ] It's clear that Fabián takes great pride in the ingredients that he uses.

Lucky for me, he can't wait to share them.

[ Gasps ] Ooh.

-Mira.

-Mm-hmm!

♪ [ Speaking Spanish ] Mmm!

This is good.

Like, really good.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] -That's it.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -Mmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mmm.

Mmm.

He wants to share his sweets.

Okay.

Espejo.

Mm.

Mm-hmm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mmm!

We're just gonna continue eating and talking and tasting and eating and talking.

You have to come to Jalisco if you want some of it, I guess.

♪ I like this, and you will like it when you make this, too.

It puffed up.

I just enjoy the plop.

[ Laughs ] I'm gonna dust with a little bit of flour.

I'm gonna cut this into eight pieces.

We're gonna turn these pieces into small balls.

But there's a technique to do this, okay?

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] I'm gonna push a little bit down and then turn all the edges inwards, which is just really satisfying.

You're pinching the dough into a ball.

And it feels like a little balloon.

When you let the ball sort of rest, the gluten relaxes, so it's easier to shape.

They keep getting a little bit more puffed up as time goes by.

♪ You want to cover these balls with water.

You can either use a spray, like I'm doing right now, or you can also brush it.

We don't want these balls to dry out.

And now we're gonna cover them, and we're gonna let them sit for just 10 minutes.

They got even puffier.

And now what we're gonna do is we're going to reshape them into the true bolillo form.

[ Down-tempo music plays ] You'll stretch it out a little.

I'm looking at like four to five inches.

Take the bottom corner, and you're gonna make, like, a folded envelope.

Go to the center.

And you do that as many times as you can, and then you just go like that with your hands so that you get the signature bolillo shape -- very chubby in the middle.

The bolillo is really used for everything.

It's a bread that's used for tortas and sandwiches, but it's also a bread that's just table bread.

♪ We're gonna spray these with water one more time.

We're gonna cover them again, and we're gonna let them rest for an hour.

So, this has been cooking for a couple of hours and -- Ah!

It looks beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

The pork has already cooked, and it's nice and soft.

I'm gonna put it in the oven for another like 30 to 45 minutes, 'cause this is what's going to make it tatemado.

We're gonna use ripe avocado to make a chunky avocado-and-cucumber salad in a crema dressing.

So I want to start with the dressing.

I'm gonna use 5 tablespoons of this Mexican-style sour cream.

2 tablespoons of yogurt because I want to mix the crema with a different kind of acidic.

I want a dressing that is gonna make me go like this... when I have the salad.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] The zest of a lime.

And then we're gonna get the juice of the lime.

I'm going to add some salt -- a generous teaspoon.

I'm gonna chop a jalapeño with the seeds and all, 'cause I want all of the flavor in here.

One clove of garlic.

A little cilantro.

Then I'm gonna do the cucumber.

♪ Some scallions.

Then we're gonna add the avocado.

♪ One of the benefits of having a creamy yogurt or a crema dressing for anything that has avocado is that it will help preserve it and look beautiful while it waits for you.

[ Down-tempo music plays ] Yum.

We're gonna add a lot of Cotija cheese, because -- salty, aged, delicious.

♪ Just look at this!

So, the meat was already succulent and falling apart and so tender, and this is the tatemado finished.

Crunchy, crusty, charred, rustic.

Mmm.

Oh, my God.

Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm!

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] Look at how pretty these are!

Adorable and chubby.

I mean, look at how puffy they are.

We're doing the spray now because the dough is so pillowy and puffy that it's very hard to make a slit.

I'm gonna make a slit from end to end.

You have to be fast.

Takes a little practice.

Some bread makers in Mexico will make the line to its side so it's like your signature.

Some bread makers do it to the middle.

♪ I have my oven at 400 degrees, and these are gonna bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're brown on the top and fully cooked.

♪ -Mamá.

-Mi amor.

[ Speaking Spanish ] -No.

That looks insane.

-I mean, look at these.

-How long did it take to cook?

-So, two hours covered... -Yeah.

-...and then one hour uncovered.

-Mm-hmm.

-Let's each one build their own torta.

-Okay.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] -Let's start by spreading refried beans.

I'm packing it up, okay?

-Okay.

♪ -I will take the cream that you are not taking.

-Yeah.

♪ -Panela cheese.

And some jalapeños.

I mean, I think we could finish these in three tortas.

-Easily.

♪ -And then we're adding the salad.

And everything has crema.

-Yeah.

♪ This is big.

-Oh, this is huge.

-All right.

Should we eat it?

-Yeah.

[ Laughs ] [ Down-tempo music plays ] Mmm.

Mm-hmm.

-It's so good.

-It's, like, messy, salty, tangy.

-It's the perfect amount of spicy, too.

-Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

-This is one of my favorite things you've ever made.

-You know what?

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, did you try the salad?

Tiene Cotija cheese.

-Yeah.

It's fresh.

-It feels light next to the torta, but I feel like this is a salad that can also stand on its own.

-Yeah.

Is that cilantro?

What is that?

-Mm-hmm.

And scallions.

-It's really fresh.

Yeah.

If you opened up a stand for just these tortas, it'd do pretty well.

-Will you partner with me?

-Mm-hmm.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪ -For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit PatiJinich.com.

And connect!

Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest -- @PatiJinich.

-"Pati's Mexican Table" is made possible by... [ Dramatic music plays ] ♪ -La Costeña -- por sabor.

♪ -♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ -Fud brand meats -- with traditional Mexican flavor.

-Stand Together -- helping every person rise.

More information at StandTogether.org.

-Mahatma rice lets you unite ingredients and flavors.

Mahatma rice unites.

-King Arthur Baking Company.

Find out more about our masa harina at KingArthurBaking.com.

-Oléico high oleic safflower oil.

-♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ -Tecate.

Mexico is in us.

-FEMSA Foundation.

♪ -Proud to support "Pati's Mexican Table" on public television.