Globecooking recipe : Tostadas (Mexico)

It is now a Madhouse tradition that whenever I'm on holiday, I have a mega #KitchenClearout and rummage through the cupboards to find all the sauces, sachets and exotic ingredients that have been lurking there for a long time. I then head to google and look for things to make with them that sound like they will appeal to the whole family. This time around, I found three Tex-Mex themed ingredients that sounded like they should work well together - a can of Taco Bell refried beans, some Chipotle and Bourbon BBQ Sauce and a guacamole seasoning mix. I immediately stumbled across a recipe for Chicken Tostadas on the Food Network website. I had a look on wikipedia which explained that tostadas evolved as a way of using up stale tortillas that were deep fried to give them a new lease of life then topped with mostly the same toppings as tacos. I love the idea of using an authentic #KitchenClearout recipe to clear out my own kitchen cupboards, so that was the inspiration for our dinner. 

In terms of meat, we were still using up the leftover grilled meats from the barbecue - Madhouse Daddy always cooks enough to see us through a couple of days, so we had some pork chops, sausages and beef.

The fridge was also full of things needing to be used up - some lettuce, the end of a mixed salad (cherry tomatoes, grated carrot, beetroot, sweetcorn, cucumber, olives, chunks of cheese...), some sliced tomato, some cooked rice, ... In fact, contrary to the original recipe, the only thing that was fresh and not on its last legs was the tortillas so I didn't bother frying or toasting them (so I shouldn't really call them tostadas, as it means toasted, but that's what inspired the dish).

Tostadas

ingredients : 

10 flour tortillas

a tin of refried beans

guacamole (2 avocados + 4tbsp mayonnaise + squeeze of lime juice + sachet of seasoning mix, or I usually just add chilli)

leftover cooked meat (I used grilled beef, tossed in chipotle & bourbon BBQ sauce)

leftover cooked rice

leftover mixed salad

grated cheese

sliced tomatoes

shredded lettuce

You could also add salsa, sour cream; jalapeños ... just have a rummage in the fridge and see what you find !

Heat the tortillas and the refried beans. If you want to be authentic, deep fry the tortillas one at a time, especially if they are a bit stale. Then you can spread the tortillas with refried beans and grated cheese and put them in the oven for the cheese to melt, as your base. I just reheated the refried beans in a saucepan and the tortillas in the microwave fresh from the pack.

Then it's just a total free-for-all, with everyone serving themselves from all the different dishes and bowls on the table. I'm always amazed at how much salad the kids add to their plates when it's voluntary !

Pierre even wolfed down loads of guacamole whereas he usually turns his nose up at it - maybe all my exotic cooking is starting to rub off on him !

Once you've assembled your toppings, fold up the tortilla fajitas-style or if it's deep fried, use a knife and fork to cut off crispy squares.

You might like a rice, tomato, spicy beef, guacamole and cheese version (this was Sophie's) ...

... or a guacamole, salad and rice version, which was mine. The choice is yours !

*** Don't miss my country-by-country globecooking recipe index ***

If you fancy trying some more Mexican recipes, how about Autumn Stew with Pipian, Black Bean Soup or Huevos Rancheros?

This is the ultimate recipe for clearing out the fridge so I'm adding it to the #KitchenClearout linky