Many years ago there was a small chain of restaurants in Guadalajara
called Gemma. Their most popular item was tortas (ahogadas) sitting in a
type of tomato-based sauce.

Unfortunately, Gemma's is gone now and we no longer live in Guadalajara.

The question is, does anybody here have a recipe for the Gemma torta
ahogada sauce? Does anybody here even remember Gemma?

Thanks to everyone is advance!
April G.
San Antonio, TX

I don't have a recipe but I do have some phone numbers:
GEMMA Lonches pierna y lomo // Av. Guadalupe 1162 L-2 Pb , Tel:
3122-6440
GEMMA Lonches pierna y lomo // Gran Plaza 3er nivel , Tel: 3647-0704
GEMMA Lonches pierna y lomo // Av. Enrique Díaz de León 305 , Tel:
3827-1816
GEMMA Lonches pierna y lomo // Av. Chapultepec 1573-A , Tel: 3647-9015
GEMMA Lonches pierna y lomo // Av. Copérnico 4089 , Tel: 3133-1188
GEMMA Lonches pierna y lomo // Plaza Fiesta Arboledas L6-A , Tel:
3811-1017
GEMMA Lonches pierna y lomo // Plaza Tepeyac local 521 , Tel: 3628-2195
GEMMA Lonches pierna y Lomo // Gran Plaza Tercer Nivel , Tel: 3647-0704

But I don't know if this numbers are still valid, to dial to
Guadalajara just add 011 52 33 before the number, you may want to call
them and ask for the recipe.

Good luck


April Grunspan wrote:
> Many years ago there was a small chain of restaurants in Guadalajara
> called Gemma. Their most popular item was tortas (ahogadas) sitting in a
> type of tomato-based sauce.
>
> Unfortunately, Gemma's is gone now and we no longer live in Guadalajara.
>
> The question is, does anybody here have a recipe for the Gemma torta
> ahogada sauce? Does anybody here even remember Gemma?
>
> Thanks to everyone is advance!
> April G.
> San Antonio, TX

"April Grunspan" > wrote in message
...
> Many years ago there was a small chain of restaurants in Guadalajara
> called Gemma. Their most popular item was tortas (ahogadas) sitting in a
> type of tomato-based sauce.
>
> Unfortunately, Gemma's is gone now and we no longer live in Guadalajara.
>
> The question is, does anybody here have a recipe for the Gemma torta
> ahogada sauce? Does anybody here even remember Gemma?
>
> Thanks to everyone is advance!
> April G.
> San Antonio, TX

They re a bit tricky. Not tomato sauce but chile de arbol salsa. You make a
regular torta then dip it into the red chile de arbol mix, soaking the
torta, then you dip the whole thing in a deep fry being very careful not to
splash yourself with the hot oil. Chile de arbol is that longish thin red
chile that packs a dinamite whallop.
>

April Grunspan wrote:
> Many years ago there was a small chain of restaurants in Guadalajara
> called Gemma. Their most popular item was tortas (ahogadas) sitting in a
> type of tomato-based sauce.

Hehe.

Most of the mystery of cocina mexicana is in the language used to
describe it. (1)

"Ahogar" means "to drown" or "to smother". Anything covered with a
gravy or sauce could be said to be "ahogada".

The hot roast beef sandwich served at an American lunch counter could
be called a "torta de res ahogada" even if no chile peppers were in the
gravy...

I could start calling my tamales, "tamales ahogadas" if I covered them
with a mole sauce. OTOH, is the phrase "mole sauce" redundant in
anybody else's mind except mine?

I could call my enchiladas, "enchiladas ahogadas" if I used a lot of
enchilada sauce. But, how much excess enchildada sauce would I need to
use, if I really wanted to *drown* my enchiladas?

(1) If my cat disappears, dare I order the sopa de gato in the
neighborhood ristorante mexicano?

On Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:49:11 GMT, April Grunspan
> wrote:

>Many years ago there was a small chain of restaurants in Guadalajara
>called Gemma. Their most popular item was tortas (ahogadas) sitting in a
>type of tomato-based sauce.
>
>Unfortunately, Gemma's is gone now and we no longer live in Guadalajara.
>
>The question is, does anybody here have a recipe for the Gemma torta
>ahogada sauce? Does anybody here even remember Gemma?
>
>Thanks to everyone is advance!
>April G.
>San Antonio, TX


I lived in the area 1995-6 and remember the ahogadas as being pork
(pierna) and the sauce based on chili de arbol (as Wayne indicates).
He mentions frying after the dunking, but I never saw that done, just
the soak.


jim

"ensenadajim" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:49:11 GMT, April Grunspan
> > wrote:
>
> >Many years ago there was a small chain of restaurants in Guadalajara
> >called Gemma. Their most popular item was tortas (ahogadas) sitting in a
> >type of tomato-based sauce.
> >
> >Unfortunately, Gemma's is gone now and we no longer live in Guadalajara.
> >
> >The question is, does anybody here have a recipe for the Gemma torta
> >ahogada sauce? Does anybody here even remember Gemma?
> >
> >Thanks to everyone is advance!
> >April G.
> >San Antonio, TX
>
>
> I lived in the area 1995-6 and remember the ahogadas as being pork
> (pierna) and the sauce based on chili de arbol (as Wayne indicates).
> He mentions frying after the dunking, but I never saw that done, just
> the soak.
>
>
> jim
>
The soaking then deep fry is kind of a rarity in different places in Mexico.
For example an enchilada in San Luis Potosi is made that way. A tortilla
slightly heated in a well lubricated pan, then dipped into a salsa, then
filled and rolled, then deep fried in spite of the salpicones (splashes of
oil/water), then served with grated queso anejo and finely diced onions.
Yummmmmmy!

The only place I ever had tortas ahogadas was in the best known torta shop
to the locals and as I remember, it is about two blocks from the zocalo,
near a major bus/taxi exchange center and in the older part of town. They
had two basic versions. One for us virgins, the other for the regulars. And
yes, I think the filling was pork, could have been carnitas based. Being the
'virgin' (never had one before) I got the hottest version and managed to
keep my manhood which of course delighted my companions and made me a member
of the establishment.


Wayne

> They re a bit tricky. Not tomato sauce but chile de arbol salsa. You make a
> regular torta then dip it into the red chile de arbol mix, soaking the
> torta, then you dip the whole thing in a deep fry being very careful not to
> splash yourself with the hot oil. Chile de arbol is that longish thin red
> chile that packs a dinamite whallop.
> >

If you want to make a chile de arbol salsa, look he
http://rollybrook.com/salsa-casera.htm

"Rolly" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> > They re a bit tricky. Not tomato sauce but chile de arbol salsa. You
make a
> > regular torta then dip it into the red chile de arbol mix, soaking the
> > torta, then you dip the whole thing in a deep fry being very careful not
to
> > splash yourself with the hot oil. Chile de arbol is that longish thin
red
> > chile that packs a dinamite whallop.
> > >
>
> If you want to make a chile de arbol salsa, look he
> http://rollybrook.com/salsa-casera.htm
>
Absolutely fantastic! You are so lucky to be in such close contact with a
true genius of Mexican food. Everything I see her do through your wonderful
site is marvelous! And just for fun.... I can't see one ingredient that I
can't buy in my local Albertsons, Vons, Ralph's or other. So there are ample
opportunities for people who want the delight of Mexican food to just copy
from your site. Keep on truckin!!!

Wayne