One of the most enjoyable parts of traveling is the opportunity to try the everday street foods of the country I’m visiting. The baguette sandwiches, crepes and sweets in Paris were irresistible. Gyros and souvlaki are street fare in Greece, and sausages and dumplings can be found everywhere in the Czech Republic. Belgium is known for its waffles and fries. Every country has its own specialties.
The street foods of Mexico are among my favorites: tacos, tortas, seafood, fruits, and so much more. I love tortas, a Latin-style sandwich made with an endless variety of ingredients and my bread of choice is a bolillo, a lemon shaped white bread with a crisp crust and a soft interior. The ratio of crust to soft center is perfect: the chewy crust gives the sandwich substance and the interior doesn’t overpower the toppings.
My small town has a wonderful Mexican cafe and bakery and their bolillos are baked fresh daily. If you don’t have a bakery close by you can bake your own bolillos. The dough would make delicious hamburger buns too.
Split the roll, toast lightly, and spread with refried beans, salsa and grated cheese. Top with sour cream and cilantro.
Sliced tomatoes, guacamole and shrimp are delicious. I added a little chili powder, cumin and chopped cilantro to my Thousand Island recipe to give a south of the border flavor to one of my favorite salad dressings.
The most basic combinations usually include refried beans, meat or eggs, cheese, avocado and some kind of sauce. Use what you have in the fridge. Be creative.
Leftover sliced chicken breast is delicious.
Whatever the protein, I usually add tomatoes and avocados. The possible combinations of ingredients in a good sandwich are endless. Start out with good bread and you’re sure of success.
loved my time in tx…we had the chance to really eat some authentic foods …
this looks divine, and i have always loved bollio…aah this has jolted our tastebuds!
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i was hoping for a burgundy aga…but i had the sinking feeling the real color was RED RED…
…i COULD live with that antique white~without too much fuss 🙂
we are going to check on them this spring when he hit the big city! 🙂
thanks for visiting me ! loved hearing from you 🙂
Those bolillos are beautiful. There is a nice Mexican bakery in the next town over. Next time I'm in I'll look for these.
Cathy, oh YUM. I think that is the most beautiful sandwich I've ever seen! The mexican flavors are probably unreal!
Your pictures are making me hungry! And we just ate! Looks fabulous!
xoxo Pattie
That looks so delicious! I could eat guacamole every day and the combination with shrimp, tomatoes and that amazing-looking bun sounds fantastic.
Yummmm! This sounds so good and I know a few family members that would love them.
Love bolillos! We have quite a few Mexican restaurants and supermarkets here and I am nuts for authentic Mexican cuisine. Thanks for reminding me of the goodness of a sandwich in one of those!
mmmm-hmmmm that looks so good! the buns really look soft too and salsa? what could b better! a lovely lovely sandwich.
*sigh* Its a pretty good bet I'll never find authentic bolillos here in Ohio. However, I am sending a link to this page to my baby sis in AZ. I'm SURE she can get them! Maybe she'll make this for me on my next visit. 😀
We do have 1 or 2 decent Mexican restaurants here. I will ask them if they sell or make bolillos or maybe even have such a sandwich on the menu. Its only 8 am here, but I'm hungry for one right now!
Waw,…mmmmmmmmmm,…the bunbs looks great & so does that filling!
MMMMMMMM,…lovely filled sandwiches: very tasty & appetizing too!
I'm a sandwich addict and mix all kinds of ingredients in a sammie. Kaiser rolls are a good substitute. I just like lots of crust.
Rett – try a breakfast sandwich of scrambled eggs and bacon. Soooo good. I hope your Mexican restaurant can help you find a local bakery.
Thank you all for stopping by. I love to read your comments.
Oh yum, looks delicious and healthy besides!
Great photos and delicious looking sammies – we've never tried them but think I must. We have a fairly large hispanic population around the area and a couple of stores, so I may be able to get the bread.
Now THAT is a sandwich! The shrimp makes it look so mouth-watering…looks like you could almost make 2 meals out of one sandwich..
Great photos!
OMG these look fabulous!
I miss being able to go to a Mexican bakery since I moved back east from Sam Francsico…
I will have to try that recipe fro the bolillos…
I am so hungry now!
What a gorgeous palette of color and flavor. The shrimp one is my fave. Slurp.
Wow, great looking sandwiches.
I would be happy living in Texas or even Arizona where good Mexican is easy to come by. I'd eat it every day.
OMG, that looks fabulous. Street food in my opinion, offers the most authentic, simply prepared and delicious food. I love it! Thanks for sharing.
Cathy,
Thank you, as always, for visiting. 🙂
Mmm, I haven't had a torta in a long time. I'm going to have to look into making my own bolillas – those are what really make the sandwich!
This looks really wonderful, Cathy. The colors are a delight. As a shrimp lover, I know I'll love this one.
It looks so good. Shrimp is my son's favorite food. This would be a huge hit with my family!
That bread looks awesome and so does everything inside! This is making me hungry all over again! 😀
Hello Cathy, so nice to meet another Oregonian. I saw you over at Susan's, Schnitzel and the Trout, and thought I'd stop by to say hello. Lovely blog, great recipes and I don't know when the last time was that I made Pastitsio! And I do love George's Mongolian beef recipe. Will be back again. Thanks, Diana
I so agree about traveling, Cathy! Unfortunately, we don't have a Mexican bakery around….lots of Cuban bakeries though!
Your bolilla looks delicious! No doubt I can find a subsititute and still use your ideas for filling. I love those flavors!
No little Mexican bakery withing 1,000 of miles from here so now we can make our own:D
Wow! I could eat that sandwich for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – it looks fantastic.
These look AMAZING! I wish my sandwiches looked half as good! Anytime you want to share…
=o)
a very good looking sandwich
I've never had that kind of bread, it looks very good
I don't think I have ever had that bread. The sandwich looks mouth watering, Cathy!
I love the way the sliced avocados and shrimp look in that sandwich!
oh my..I don't think I can choose!
Oh my! Avocados and shrimp on a sandwich. I was so craving a stuffed avocado with shrimp a week ago and made it but haven't posted it yet. Now I see this….Magnificent!
Popping back in to this post to tell you I FOUND BOLILLOS!!! Our super Wal-Mart had them & I've probably passed 'em a million times, not knowing what they were. I can't wait to make a sandwich of some leftover sliced chicken breast.
Thanks for teaching me about something new!