Make it a fiesta with authentic Mexican dishes

1.) The preliminaries. In a medium-sized bowl, mixed the finely chopped onion and chilies with the optional tomato, garlic, and coriander.

1.) Preliminaries. About 25 minutes before serving, fry the tortillas as directed on page 78. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, if desired. Warm the beans over low heat, adding a little water if they're overly thick. Thoroughly whisk together the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper, then toss the lettuce with the dressing.

2.) Assembling the tostadas. Spread a generous 2 tablespoons of warm beans over each crisp tortilla. Top with a little chicken, then add a thick drizzle of cream, some onion and avocado. Top each tostada with dressed lettuce, tomato and a sprinkling of cheese. Serve at once.

Traditional Variations

Black-Bean Tostadas with Thick Cream: A dressy way to serve beans is to prepare 2 cups (1 recipe) Frijoles Refritos made with black beans (page 269), then divide them between 6 crisp-fried tortillas and drizzle on ½ cup Thick Cream (page 51) or commercial sour cream thinned with a little cream. End with crumbled Mexican queso anejo (page 327) or cheese like feta or Parmesan, plus a little chopped onion. Serve at once.

Seviche Tostadas: Prepare seviche following the variation recipe for tostadas (page 84); divide it between 10 to 12 crisp-fried tortillas and garnish with sprig of fresh coriander (cilantro) and few drops of Salsa picante (page 40).