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"This is a hearty but not heavy meat-free entrée," Rach says. "Top with pork or beef Mexican chorizo, browned and crumbled, or pulled rotisserie chicken for meat lovers."
Ingredients
- Non-aerosol cooking spray
- Eight 6-inch flour tortillas
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Fine sea salt or kosher salt
- 5 to 6 large fresh tomatillos, husk removed, rinsed
- 1 small onion, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 poblano peppers, or 2 cups defrosted frozen Hatch chilies
- 2 cloves garlic in jackets
- ½ cup fresh cilantro or flat parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 tablespoon fresh
- 1 teaspoon light agave or light flavor and color honey
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper hot sauce (Rach's go-to is Frank's RedHot)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon pimenton/smoked paprika
- Salt
- One 14-ounce can pinto beans
- 1 brick pepper Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 Haas avocado, diced
- 2 limes, 1 for avocado and 1 cut into small wedges
- 1 small iceberg lettuce
- Pickled jalapeño pepper slices
Yield
Preparation
For the tostadas, heat oven to 400˚F.
Spray tortillas lightly with oil and season with cumin, oregano and salt. Bake 4 to 5 minutes on each side to golden and crisp, remove and cool to handle.
For the salsa, preheat broiler to high with rack 1 above center. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the tomatillos, onion, poblanos, and garlic. Char and blister peppers and tomatillos, turn, the total time under broiler will be 10 to 12 minutes. Place in bowl, cover, cool, peel, stem and seed peppers. Peel garlic. Add all ingredients to food processor and pulse process into thick salsa, transfer to a bowl.
For the beans, heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat, add onion, jalapeño, garlic, hot sauce (Rach's go-to is Frank's RedHot), spices and salt, soften a few minutes while stirring frequently, then add ½ to ⅔ cup water and let it absorb. Add the beans and the onions to food processor and pulse until almost smooth, then place back in skillet over lowest heat.
To assemble, place the oven rack in center oven and turn broiler on.
Top the crispy tostadas with warm beans and cheese. (Add chorizo crumbles or rotisserie chicken, if using, before cheese.) Dress the avocado in lime juice. Bubble and brown the cheese on tostadas and serve 2 per person topped with lettuce, salsa, pickled jalapeño peppers, avocado, and wedges of lime.
