I had never had Mexican food until I was 21 years old and was stationed in San Antonio as a newly inducted airman in the United States Air Force. It was there that I met my wife, who is Mexican-American, and learned the scrumptious cuisine called Tex-Mex from my mother-in-law. Tex-Mex is a fusion of the many dishes from Mexico and the influence of the flavors and culture of Texas. My mother-in-law’s name was Luz, which means light in English; and she was a bright light in everyone’s life. Besides being the life of the party, she was an excellent cook. Like many of my parent’s and grandparent’s generations, you had to stand by, follow and look at how they prepared a particular dish. There were no measurements of any ingredients. I still cook that way until now, having to develop my dishes into recipes that people can follow. As time has passed, I have more often than not made some adjustments to old recipes I learned from old school cooks, but they are pretty much true to the originals in flavor and appearance.
Tostadas have always been one of my favorite Tex-Mex foods, both for flavor and for dinner guests and parties.
It’s a fun and delicious way to entertain guests for a great fiesta. It’s also very simple and can be prepared ahead of time. The tostada is simply a crispy corn tortilla with a spread of re-fried beans, taco meat and an assortment toppings. If I am having a party or having guests, I like to make a toppings bar so that everyone can put what they want on their tostada. I like to pile mine up with all the toppings which consist of shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, queso fresco, sliced avocados, shredded Mexican cheese blend, Mexican crema and spicy salsa. I like serving these with Mexican rice and charro beans.
INGREDIENTS:
- Corn tortillas
- Vegetable oil
- For the Taco Meat:
- 1 Lb. lean ground beef
- 1/4 Cup minced green bell pepper
- 1/2 Cup minced onion
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 Tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 Tsp black pepper
- 1/2 Tsp chili powder
- 2 Tbsp tomato sauce
- 1/4 Cup low sodium beef broth
- Want to make this lighter? Use ground turkey.
- For the Re-Fried Beans:
- 1 Can Gebhardt’s non-fat re-fried beans. (I like this brand because it’s pure beans with no other seasonings. You can also re-fry homemade pinto beans instead)
- 2 Tbsp. bacon fat or lard (Lard is the authentic ingredient. I use bacon fat.)
- 1/4 Tsp black pepper
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- Want to make this lighter? Leave off the tablespoons of fat and thin the beans with some beef broth.
- Toppings:
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced tomatoes
- Sliced avocados
- Shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Queso Fresco
- Mexican crema
- Your favorite hot sauce/salsa
INSTRUCTIONS:
Taco Meat: Add the meat, onions, bell pepper and garlic to a medium sauce pan and begin cooking on a medium high heat, breaking up the meat and blending all the ingredients. Continue the cooking process turning often. Add the cumin, salt, chili powder and pepper and continue cooking until the vegetables have wilted and there is no liquid in the pan from the meat. If your beef is extremely lean or you use turkey, you may want to use a couple of tablespoons of oil to start the cooking process. Once the veggies have wilted and the liquids, if any, have evaporated, add the tomato sauce, stir well, and then add the beef broth. Cover and let simmer while you prepare the remaining recipe. Double the recipe if you are serving a large amount of people.
Beans: Melt the bacon fat or lard in a small pan or pot, add the beans and seasonings and simmer until blended and heated. If the beans are too thick, thin them out with a little bit of beef broth. They should be of a consistency that is easy to spread on your crispy tortilla. If you are feeding a lot of people you should double the amount of beans. These also save well in the refrigerator.
Tortillas: Pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees F. Add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a small frying pan. Heat the oil on a medium high heat. When the oil is heated enough, begin frying the corn tortillas, one at a time. Use a pair of tongs and turn the tortillas constantly, pressing down on bubbles. You want the tortilla to be as flat as possible, but small bubbles are not a problem. Continue until the tortilla is brown and hard to the touch when tapping it with the tongs. Place on a paper towel to drain and then put on a cookie sheet and place in the oven to keep warm and crispy. Fry as many tortillas that you think you will need for the amount of people you are serving.
Toppings: Lay out 6 bowls and one small pitcher or gravy bowl. Fill each individual bowl with the following toppings: shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced avocados, crumbled queso fresco (most stores carry this in the cheese section), shredded Mexican blend cheese and your favorite hot sauce/salsa. Mexican crema is much like creme fraiche. Pour that into a small pitcher or gravy bowl.
Assembling: In addition to the toppings, if I’m serving company, I will put the tortillas, meat and beans on the “Tostada Bar” and everyone can assemble their own. If it’s just the family, we take the tortillas straight out of the oven and the meat and beans right off the stove. Start with your crispy corn tortilla, spread some re-fried beans, sprinkle some meat and add the toppings of your choice, finishing it off with a drizzle of the Mexican crema.