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Tinga is a typical Mexican topping native to the state of Puebla that is comprised
of finely shredded ground pork, beef, or chicken and stewed in a mild tomato-chipotle
pepper sauce. Executive Chef Hugo Ortega decided to offer a twist and use rabbit here—the way his mother prepared it for his family at home. One of his favorite ways to eat tinga is as a topping on either garnachas, which are the delicious, thick, crispy potato-masa cakes offered in this recipe, or on tostadas, as described in the recipe’s chicken variation. Top either with your choice of meat.
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Ingredients
  

For the tinga:

  • 1 2 pounds whole rabbit skinned
  • 11 garlic cloves peeled and divided
  • 9 dried bay leaves divided
  • 1 celery stalk roughly chopped
  • 1¼ small onions, quartered finely chopped, and divided
  • 1 medium carrot peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons plus ¾ teaspoon kosher salt divided
  • 4 tomatoes roasted
  • 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo plus 4 teaspoons of sauce
  • 2½ teaspoons whole cumin seeds
  • 1½ teaspoons whole black peppercorns
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 Tablespoons lard
  • 1¼ teaspoons dried Mexican oregano crumbled
  • ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ cup cubed (½-inch) yellow potato cooked al dente

For the garnachas:

  • ¾ pound sweet potato washed
  • ½ pound masa
  • 1 cup corn oil
  • ½ cup queso fresco for garnish
  • 4 thinly sliced radishes for garnish
  • ½ small carrot peeled, cut into thin strips for garnish

Instructions
 

For the tinga (make ahead up to 2 days)

  • Place rabbit in large stockpot with enough water to cover. Add 5 garlic cloves, 5 bay leaves, celery, onion, carrot, and 2 tablespoons salt. Cook over high heat until boiling, then lower heat and leave gently bubbling until tender, about 1½ hours. Remove from heat and allow to cool in liquid. Strain and reserve liquid for later use. Debone rabbit meat and finely shred. Set meat aside.
  • Place tomatoes, chipotle peppers and reserve liquid sauce, whole cumin seeds, black peppercorns, whole cloves, remaining bay leaves, and garlic in blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
  • Place cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add lard to skillet, and preheat 2 minutes. Add remaining onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add puree and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add meat and cook 2 minutes. Stir in oregano, remaining salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute more. Carefully fold in potato. Transfer tinga to a bowl. Refrigerate tightly covered with plastic wrap.

For the garnachas (make ahead up to 1 day)

  • Place sweet potato in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until tender, about 40 minutes. Strain. Allow potato to cool, then peel and chop into large chunks. Set aside.
  • Place masa in a bowl. Slowly knead sweet potato into the masa. Knead gently to leave a chunky texture.

To assemble

  • Place tinga in a pan with ½ cup of the reserved liquid. Simmer for 10 minutes. Place cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add corn oil to skillet and preheat until bubbling, about 3 to 4 minutes. Working two at time, place each garnacha well-side down and cook until crispy, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes more to crisp bottom.
  • Place cooked garnachas on paper towels to drain. Fill each garnacha with a generous ¼ cup of tinga. Garnish and serve.

Variation

  • Tostadas de Tinga de Pollo (Crispy Tortillas Topped with ChickenStew)
    Substitute rabbit with a 3½-pound whole chicken, cut into sections. Boil for 45 minutes to 1 hour, strain, debone, then shred meat. Use half the amount of chicken for this recipe (good combination of both white and dark meat) and store the rest in an airtight container for later use. Follow the rest of the cooking directions as specified above. Substitute the garnacha ingredients for 8 store-bought tortillas, ½ cup corn oil, ½ cup refritos, ¼ cup crumbled queso fresco, 2 thinly sliced radishes, 8 cilantro sprigs, and ¼ thinly sliced red onion for garnishes. Place cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add corn oil to skillet, and preheat until bubbling, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a fork, prick holes in tortillas to prevent them from inflating in the hot oil. Working one at a time, place each tortilla in hot oil and fry until crispy, 2 minutes per side. Place tostadas on paper towels to drain. Spread 2 tablespoons refritos on each tostada, divide reheated tinga evenly among tostadas. Garnish and serve.

Notes

Recipe and photo courtesy of Hugo’s.
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