Everyone’s heard of fajitas, enchiladas and tacos, but Mexican tlayudas are still a mystery to lots of people despite possibly being the best food of Mexico! Tlay what?! They’re like Mexican pizzas and can be served with the flatbread open, or folded (a bit like a calzone). Best of all, the potential toppings for tlayudas are limitless! Chorizo and sweet potato go beautifully, but my wife Bea is veggie so she skipped on the chorizo and still loved them. You could easily make them vegan, or you can make milder Tlayudas if you want to feed little ones too (they’ll love topping these Mexican pizzas themselves!). Mix them up however you like but be sure to get plenty of ingredients, as whoever eats them is bound to want seconds…case in point, I had them for both lunch and dinner on cheat day and I loved them just as much the second time!
I got inspiration for the recipe from the most brilliant book, Mexican Food Made Simple – Thomasina Miers. All of her recipes are wonderful and beautifully represent the food of Mexico, I can’t wait to buy more of her books!
Serves 2
Ingredients 2 good quality shop-bought flatbreads (or preferably make your own) 1 garlic clove, peeled 4 tbps olive oil 400g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces Ancho chilli flakes, good pinch Cayenne Chilli flakes, good pinch 150g cooking chorizo 1 banana shallot 2 very large spoonful’s of guacamole 50g grated cheddar 150g mozzarella Handful of pickled jalapenos ½ medium red onion, finely sliced and covered in juice of ½ an orange (drain juice before using)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200’c
In a pestle and mortar, smash the garlic with a little salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add squash to roasting tray and cover in the garlic flavoured oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chilli flakes then roast for 20-25 minutes until just starting to char at the edges.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add chorizo and allow to release oils. Add shallots and sweat until softened. Add the roasted squash and stir thoroughly. Taste and season further if needed (it might not).
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add flatbread to pan and warm until just starting to crisp then flip over. Smear half the guac over the flatbread, scatter with half the squash mixture and half the other toppings, before tearing over half the mozzarella in small chunks. As the bread begins to crisp, fold in half and allow the cheese to melt slightly then slide tlayuda onto board, slice and serve. Prepare for the perfect food of Mexico!
