Refried Bean Tostadas with Pico de Gallo
Hello and welcome to Locally Grown! If you have not yet subscribed to this delicious publication of mine, please do so now so you never miss a bite. And if you already subscribe and enjoy my recipes, please forward this to a friend you think would enjoy it!
This recipe was inspired by my CSA box, as all good summer recipes should be. For weeks now, we’ve been receiving an abundance of tomatoes and various hot peppers (2-3 different peppers each week, which has been so very fun). But I’m not always creative when it comes to using up jalapenos, serranos, and the like. Especially when I’m just getting 1 or 2 at a time.
Back when we were farming, these were always the first thing to go bad in my fridge. I’d overthink what to do with them, thinking I needed to go big and save up a ton for jalapeno poppers or some other dish where they were the star. It was only this year that I remembered: fresh salsa is amazing and can use up any number and variety of delightfully mild hot peppers.
I’ve been making Pico de Gallo frequently as a way to make sure no peppers go to waste and it’s inspired something different than my usual style of tacos. In this instance, I was urged to tackle three things that aren’t my norm all at once: 1) making fresh salsa, 2) actually using some of the abundance of dried beans in our pantry, and 3) seeing how I could transfer a regular tortilla into something a bit more fun.
I really enjoyed making refried beans from scratch, but please note you don’t have to do that. The canned variety is just fine. The same goes for the fried tortillas. If you want to go for it, GREAT! If not, just enjoy a soft-shelled taco (or better yet, purchase some pre-made hard-shell tacos or tostada shells at the grocery store). However, you choose to create this recipe, I just hope you love it.
Happy almost fall y’all. The recipes will transition to warmer flavors soon. And I’m so very excited about that.
-Lauren
Refried Bean Tostadas with Pico de Gallo & Cilantro Crema
We devoured a significant amount of Pico de Gallo with chips as we were waiting for the refried beans to cook. I’m assuming you will do the same, so feel free to save yourself some trouble and start with a double batch.
Serves 4
Takes 2 hours (if making refried beans from scratch from dried beans)
1 cup dried black beans
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups water
6 tablespoons sunflower (or vegetable) oil*
8-10 flour or corn tortillas (or hard shell tortillas)
Pico de Gallo:
4 cups finely diced tomatoes
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 serrano peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Cilantro Crema:
3/4 cup packed cilantro
2 garlic cloves
3/4 cup whole fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
In a large saucepan, combine black beans, garlic, salt, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook at a gentle simmer for an hour. Uncover and simmer 30 minutes more until water is almost fully reduced. Puree with an immersion blender.
Meanwhile, prepare your pico de gallo by combining all ingredients in a medium bowl and tossing to combine. Place in the fridge until ready to eat or snack on it with chips while you wait for your beans to cook (and try not to finish it all).
To prepare your cilantro crema. Combine cilantro and garlic in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add yogurt (or sour cream) and salt and puree until smooth. Remove to a bowl and place in the fridge until the beans are ready.
In a large sauté pan, heat sunflower oil over medium high heat. Gently fry tortillas one or two at a time (as many will fit). Place on a towel when finished to drain off excess grease. Set aside.
When all your tortillas are crisped, there should be about 2 tablespoons of oil remaining in the pan. Reduce the heat to low and add your pureed beans. Cook gently until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Serve tostadas with a scoop of beans, a hefty dollop of cilantro crema, and finish with as much pico de gallo as you can fit.
*If using pre-made tostadas or hard-shell tortillas, omit 4 tablespoons of the oil. You will only need 2 tablespoons to fry your beans.