Yes, I did it again.

Have you ever had a Pambazo? Well, for those of you who haven't...I recommend trying one. Pronto! If you visit me, even occasionally, you know that I love Mexican food. In all my years of eating it though, I had never even heard of a Pambazo. It is basically a torta (big, awesome sandwich)...where it differs is the bread, or the outside of the bread. It is dipped or painted with a sauce made up of chiles and then fried, well sauteed really until slightly crusty on the outside. It gets your fingers and mouth all red and messy...ah, fun with food! Mexi has been talking about how much he wants one...for what seems like months. So, finally he decided to give it a go. He said they turned out pretty well for his first try, but that they'll be even better next time...bring it on!!!

So, like a sandwich or a torta, you can put anything you like in between the two bread halves. Mexi chose chorizo with papas (potatoes) this time. You can use chicken breast, veggies, pork, steak, ham- You name it! Here's the basic process:

Pambazos

basic ingredients (mix & match as desired):

bolillos or telera bread

dried chiles (such as ancho)

tomato or tomatillo

garlic

Your choice of filling (such as chorizo & potatoes)

various toppings (such as lettuce, avocado, crema, queso)

Make a sauce from some dried chiles, garlic and tomatoes &/or tomatillos by tossing a few some in a pot with a little water and simmering to soften. Mexichef used 1 ancho chile, 1 tomato and couple cloves of garlic. Once they are softened, transfer the solids to a blender with a couple of Tbs. of water (just enough to let the blades move through it all) and some salt to taste; blend until smooth.

In the meantime, get your filling ready. In this case, crumble fresh chorizo into a skillet and cook until browned. At the same time, cook up a couple of potatoes and dice once tender and cool enough to handle. Add the potatoes to the pan with the chorizo.

Next, brush some bolillo or telera bread halves with your chile mixture. Or dip them in (I think we may dip next time). Have a hot, large pan ready. Add a bit of oil, just to coat the bottom then add your chile-covered bread to pan. Let each side crisp up and get some nice, golden color. (This doesn't really show in the photo, but I promise, it happens...and it's goooood.)

Now, add your filling and any other toppings you may like to the inside of one half of the bread. We used avocado, lettuce and crema this time.

Crumble some queso fresco over the top (or just put it inside) and prepare to get messy. Bite, chew, groan, lick your fingers. Repeat.

Thanks for joining me for more Mexican food...and speaking of chiles on this beautiful (yet chilly...ha ha) day in the month of May (National Chile Pepper Month)....if you haven't checked out my GIVEAWAY, full of tasty Chile Pepper Stuff and an awesome Tex-Mex Cookbook by Gloria Chadwick...what are you waiting for?!