Yesterday was fantastic!  We all enjoyed being with family and friends and we indulged in our favorite Thanksgiving dishes.  But yesterday’s gone so it’s time to turn our thoughts, and our cooking, to today.  If you are wondering what to do with your turkey leftovers, go Mexican!   With this recipe for Turkey Tostadas, you are going to create  a delicious Tostada volcano, and the amazing mixture of flavors will only enhance that of the turkey .

Turkey Tostadas

Ingredients

• 1 pound black beans
• 1/2 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 – 2 teaspoons salt
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup canola oil
• 4 tomatoes diced
• 1 white onion diced
• 1 cup of cilantro leaves chopped
• 1 – 2 Serrano chili peppers minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 cups finely diced leftover turkey breast
• 2 cups shredded Iceberg lettuce
• 2 ripe but firm avocados thinly sliced

Method

Step 1: The Beans

Empty the black beans in a large strainer and rinse them thoroughly.  Place them in a bowl, cover them with water and allow them to soak for one hour.  After an hour rinse the beans again, and place them in a large pot, cover them with water,  add the onion and the garlic cloves, and bring them to a boil.  When the beans begin to boil rapidly add the 1 – 2 teaspoons of salt.  Let the beans boil for an hour and a half, adding water when necessary so that they are always covered (during the time that the beans are cooking proceed to step 2).  When the beans as very soft, they are ready.  Taste them and if you find that they need more salt add a bit more.

Step 2: The Tostadas

Place the canola oil in a small frying pan over  medium/high heat.  When the oil is very hot, place one tortilla at a time in the oil, fry it while flattening it out with a potato masher (or any other implement you find useful).  After about 1 or 2 minutes turn the tortilla over and fry it on the other side for about 1 more minute or until it becomes golden and stiff.  Remove the tortilla from the oil and place it on a paper towel, and pat off the excess oil with another paper towel.  Repeat the process for all twelve tortillas. Reserve the leftover oil for re-frying the beans.

To re-fry the beans place the reserved oil in a larger frying pan, heat it well, and with a strainer or slotted spoon take a spoonful of beans at a time and add to the hot oil. mash the beans with a potato masher and continually add more beans and then some of the bean broth.  Continue this process until you have mashed all of the beans, the broth has become absorbed and you now have the consistency of a spreadable dip.  Your beans are ready!

Step 3:  The Pico De Gallo

Place the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, Serrano pepper/s in a medium sized bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add the salt.

Time to build our Turkey Tostadas

Have all of the ingredients ready to make sort of an assembly line.  Take about a tablespoon of beans and spread it out on one of our golden tostadas.  Then sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of turkey and add a layer of shredded lettuce.  To this add a generous helping of pico de gallo and top it all off with 2 or 3 slices of avocado.  Line up the tostadas on a large platter, call the family in for dinner, and watch them enjoy!