Lately, in this In Season series, we're taking a look at what I take home from Crooked Sky Farms each week and see what I've done with my CSA share, or part share. This week I'm using butternut squash and green beans.
I used to live for bean tostadas. I would order them from Casa Molina in Tucson all the time and I would gladly sip my water from the thick red plastic tumblers and color on the placemats with my crayons until I got to shove off the shredded lettuce and dig into the creamy beans, salty cheese and crispy tortilla. For some reason, as I got older, I quit ordering simple bean tostadas. I graduated to enchiladas, I guess. I don't know why, because I love tostadas.
Tostadas are really like a giant, loaded, single-serving chip. Here's my grown up riff on a simple bean tostada:
Ingredients
Chopped vegetables (I had butternut squash and green beans - use whatever you have)
Vegetable oil
Corn tortillas
Pinto beans (I always have them cooked frozen in 2 cup portions - you can also crack open a can)
Cheese (I had Manchego (which I adore) but you could also shred up some cheddar)
Eggs
Butter
Salt and pepper
Method
Crank the oven to 425 degrees. Clean and chop your vegetables into similarly sized pieces and plunk them onto a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive or vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper and place into the oven to roast while you get everything else ready. They'll take about 20-25 minutes.
Pour about a ½ inch of oil into a high sided pot that is wide enough to hold a single corn tortilla. When it is hot and rippling or bubbles when you lower a corner of the tortilla down, you can carefully slip the tortillas in and cook and turn until completely crispy. When each one is done, place on a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a teensy bit of salt when you first take it out of the oil. If you don't want to fry these in oil, you could also brush the tortillas with oil and bake them until crispy (about 15 min at 425) before or after you roast the vegetables.
Stick the frozen beans in a microwave safe bowl and into the microwave to defrost and reheat (about 5 minutes on high) or simply open a can and heat in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes or until bubblin' hot.
Get your fry pan, the one you cooks eggs in, (I know, a lot of pots and pans - but this meal is worth it) and set it on the stove on med-low. I fry my eggs on low so that they don't get any brown chewy bits (not my favorite). Melt a bit of butter and crack the egg(s) into the pan, sprinkle with a little salt and cover with a lid. The eggs are done when the white is set and the yolk is still slightly runny but not hard - maybe 4 minutes or so.
Ideally, the tortilla, veg, beans and cheese will all be ready for you so that when the eggs are done, you can serve your guests. Here's how the assembly goes:
Place tostada chip on plate. Spoon some beans onto the chip and mash 'em a little if you want. Top the beans with loads of roasted veggies - 'cause it's good for you and they're delicious. Top those with shredded cheese. Slip the egg on top of that, crack some black pepper and serve with a smile.
Right after I made this dish, I sort of obsessed for a while about making tostadas for every single meal. I even made my kids a peanut butter and cut fruit topped tostada for a few lunches. Do you make tostadas at home, too?
