Para bailar La Bamba!

One of my favorite foods in the whole wide world is tostadas. Why? Because they have a bit of everything but are still light and refreshing. They are crunchy and partially hot, partially cold and a little bit creamy and a bit sour, a bit savory. And its a food you can pick up, which I also adore. Nothing fancy, very rustic and also very colorful. It reminds me of a garden.

I thought to make these the night before and they're easy (as is everything I make) but a little tedious. You have to make these when you're not feeling grouchy though, because they are festive. The next night I took pleasure in cutting up all the toppings and making a fresh pico de gallo. Its actually really a zen type of task, chopping vegetables and grating cheese, frying up the corn tortillas, spicing up the meat.
I smashed up some whole black beans with some spices and added some chopped pickled jalapeno.
I also mashed some fresh avocados with lime juice, salt, pepper.





The key to a good tostada is the layering. I admit, I always overload them but that's the fun part of eating them. They are messy like sloppy joes. First I smeared on a thin layer of the beans. My mom said to just paint them, no more or they'll get soggy. Then a layer of the avocado, some ground turkey. After that goes a big pile of leaf lettuce ribbons, a good sprinkling of pico de gallo, some shredded white cheddar and finally a dollop of Greek yogurt.

The lettuce, pico, avocado & yogurt should be nice and chilled and freshly cut and prepared. The meat, beans and shell should be warm and also freshly made. That is what makes this simple dish so delightful. One bite starts the opening verse of La Bamba in your mouth!