California Nachos
Recipe By : California Home Cooking by Michele Anna Jordan
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers
Sda-Veg-Recipes2@Egroups.ComAmount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 tablespoon olive oil
3 (3 to 4) serrano chiles -- minced
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mince cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper in a mill
8 ounces tortilla chips
2 cups cooked and Seasoned Black Beans -- (recipe below) or
good-quality canned black beans
6 ounces grated St. George or Monterey Jack
1 1/2 cups Smoky Corn Salsa (recipe below)
Seasoned Black Beans
1 pound dried black beans
1 large yellow onion -- quartered
1 large shallot -- cut in half
4 cloves garlic
1 rib celery -- cut in half
2 sprigs Italian parsley
Smoky Corn Salsa
3 ears fresh corn
1 small red onion -- minced
2 serrano or jalapeno chiles -- minced
1 red bell pepper -- minced
2 teaspoons pureed canned chipotles in adobo
Juice of 2 limes
1/3 cup unrefined corn oil or extra -- virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves
Kosher salt
Black pepper in a mill
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a small saut้ pan, heat the olive oil, and add the serranos. Saut้ them until
they are just soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the heat and let them cool.
In a blender or food processor, make a cilantro cream: Combine the sour cream,
half of the cilantro leaves, 1 teaspoon of the saut้ed serranos, the salt, and 2
or 3 turns of black pepper. Pulse or blend until the mixture is smooth, and
transfer to a small serving bowl.
On a large ovenproof serving platter, spread out half of the tortilla chips.
Spoon half of the beans over the chips, sprinkle half of the remaining serranos
over the beans, scatter half of the cheese over all, and top with half of the
corn salsa. Repeat with chips, beans, serranos, and cheese. Bake the nachos
until the cheese is just melted, about 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, spoon
the remaining corn salsa on top, and serve with cilantro cream on the side.
Seasoned Black Beans
Rinse the beans in cool water and sort through them to remove any small rocks or
other debris, along with any renegade varieties of beans. Put the beans in a
large pot, and add water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Soak the beans at room
temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight. For a quick soak, bring the beans
and water to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 10
minutes; remove the pot from the heat, and let the beans soak for 1 hour.
Drain and rinse the beans, return them to the pot, and add water to cover the
beans by 2 inches. Add the onion, shallot, garlic, celery and parsley. Bring to
a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam that forms, reduce the heat, and simmer
gently, partially covered, until the beans are tender. Begin tasting the beans
after about 40 minutes; the cooking time will be 45 minutes to 2 hours,
depending on the variety of bean. Add water as necessary to keep the beans from
burning. When the beans are done, remove the pot from the heat. Use tongs to
remove and discard the onion, shallot, celery, and parsley. Sometimes the onion
and shallot will have nearly dissolved into the beans, which is fine. Season
with salt and pepper.
Prepare an outdoor or stovetop grill. Remove the husks and silk from the corn.
Grill the ears quickly, turning them so they cook and color evenly, for about 5
minutes, until they have darkened slightly but have not blackened. Remove the
ears from the grill, and set them aside to cool. When they are cool enough to
handle, cut the kernels from the ears, and put the kernels in a medium bowl. Add
the onion, chiles, bell pepper, and chipotles, and toss together. Add the lime
juice, corn oil, and cilantro, and toss again. Season with salt and pepper. Let
the salsa rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Serve
immediately, or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Variation:
Instead of grilling the ears of corn, boil them for 1 or 2 minutes, drain them,
and let them cool. Remove the kernels from the ears. Omit the chipotles, and add
in their place 1 large or 2 medium ripe red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and minced
and 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced.
