Tortas de pierna

 My husband has been talking about 'tortas' over a week saying "Oh I haven't eaten tortas for loong time...", "where would we get 'bolillo' (bread) for tortas?"   Message received.  I decided to make 'Tortas de pierna' (torta with pulled pork) for Wednesday night.  "Tortas" are Mexican version of sandwiches made with small French bread, 'Bolillo'.  They have many kinds of tortas but Lettuce and Mayonnaise are must.  Typical ones are stuffed with unique Mexican ingredients like pulled pork in Chile Ancho salsa, avocado, chiles and etc.  It's very popular for lunch throughout Mexico and I used to eat at least once a week in my exchange year in Monterrey.  Oh how much I miss Tortas las Sevillanas!!  Husband loved this taste of home and I'm inspired to try some other tartas (maybe 'Torta Cubana' is the next) for coming sandwich nights, we'll see!

 -Mar. 26 grocery shopping € 10.85/ € 46.34 left

Ingredients (for 8 small tortas)
 ...<for the pulled pork 'pierna'>
1kg/2.2lbs pork leg/ham
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 laurel leaf

 ...<salda for the pork'>
1 dried Ancho chili
1 dried Pasilla chili
5-6 dried Arbol chili
4 small tomatoes
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic 
1 tbsp. chicken broth powder
2 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. vegetable oil

 ...<for toppings>
8 small French bread (baguette)
2 Avocado
1 romaine lettuce
1/2 onion
some slices of jalapenos
mayonnaise

Directions
1. Place pork leg, garlic, onion, laurel in a large pot.  Cover with water and bring to boil.  Skim the foam&scum from the broth and cook for 2.5 hrs. until pork is tender enough to shred.  
2. Once the pork is done, cool a bit a shred.  Set aside.
3. Place tomatoes, onion, garlic and deveined chilies in a pot.  Cover with water and cook for 20-30 min. over medium-low heat until chilies are completely soft.
4. Using a blender, blend all the ingredients from step 3, together with 1 1/2 cup of water in which they were cooked. 
5. Heat oil in a new pot and add salsa from step 4, combine shredded pork and simmer for 10 min.
6. Slice mini baguette in half and take some of white part inside the bread (to create some room for the toppings!)
7. Chop lettuce.  Slice onions thinly.
8. Layer mayonnaise, lettuce, avocado, onion, jalapenos and then mayonnaise again, on the bottom half of bread.  Onto the other half of bread, spoon pulled pork with a plenty of salsa(so the bread soaks some salsa and softens).  Put them together face to face and done!