Torta Ahogada

Instructions

1. Prepare the tomato sauce
   In a blender, combine the roasted tomatoes, 2 cloves of roasted garlic, white vinegar, oregano, cumin, and salt. Blend until smooth, adding a small amount of water if needed to achieve a pourable consistency. Transfer to a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes, then set aside.
2. Make the spicy chile sauce
   Toast the árbol chiles in a dry pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Place in a blender with 2 cloves of roasted garlic and 1 cup of hot water. Let soak for 10 minutes, then blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside.
3. Prepare the bread
   If using baguettes, warm them slightly in the oven to make them crusty on the outside but soft inside. Slice lengthwise without cutting all the way through, so they open like a book.
4. Assemble the sandwiches
   Spread a generous layer of refried beans on the bottom half of each roll. Top with warm carnitas or pulled pork, dividing equally among all sandwiches. Sprinkle with sliced white onion.
5. Drown the tortas
   Place each assembled sandwich on a plate. Ladle the tomato sauce over the sandwich until it's completely soaked or 'drowned' (ahogada). The amount of sauce depends on personal preference - some prefer their torta partially drowned (media ahogada) while others prefer fully submerged.
6. Add the spicy sauce
   Drizzle the spicy chile sauce over the top of each torta according to taste preference. Traditional tortas ahogadas are quite spicy, but you can adjust to your heat tolerance.
7. Serve immediately
   Serve the tortas immediately with lime wedges on the side. The bread will continue to absorb the sauce, so they're best enjoyed right away. Provide extra napkins as these sandwiches are deliciously messy!