Quick — and without looking it up — what is the origin of Cinco de Mayo?
Nope, it’s not Mexico’s Independence Day, as a living breathing school teacher insisted to me not so long ago. (Mexico celebrates its independence on Sept. 16). It also has nothing to do with Santa Anna’s troops taking the Alamo. (That happened over a two-week span between February and March.)
You can look it up now, or just know that the official Cinco de Mayo is only celebrated in the Mexican state of Puebla to commemorate a battle victory over France back on May 5, 1862. In other words, it’s only a regional holiday in Mexico.
But hey, Cinco de Mayo is fun to say. And it’s as good a reason as any to chomp down on Mexican or Tex-Mex food.
In almost five years of sharing my stories and recipes here, I recently realized that I’ve yet to talk about one of my favorite standby Tex-Mex dishes.
Bean and Cheese Tostadas.
We called them chalupas when I was growing up in northeast Texas, but the two are pretty much the same thing — a crispy corn tortilla topped with beans, lettuce, cheese and tomato.
The perfect tostada, as far as I’m concerned, is a carnival of temperatures (hot tortilla and beans/cold everything else) and is good enough to stand on its own as a main course. I also tend to have mine without tomatoes, opting for a red salsa topper instead.
And yes, I made these in the tightest of tight kitchens — in the Jimmy Rockford, my (hopefully temporary) RV home. Your version will be so much better, or I’ll give you a full refund.
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Bean and Cheese Tostadas
Bean and Cheese Tostadas — Fresh. Simple. Mexican food.
- 15 oz can – Refried beans (pinto or black)
- ¼ cup – Mexican salsa
- 2 cups – Shredded lettuce
- 1 cup – Chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup – Shredded cheese*
- ¼ cup – Chopped cilantro
- 8 – Tostada shells
- Sour cream
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced black olives
- Additional salsa
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine beans and salsa; cover and microwave on high for about 1½ minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
- Warm tostada shells in a 350°F toaster oven, if desired. (Some people prefer their shells cold.)
- Atop each shell, spread 2-3 TB of the refried beans; add ¼ cup of lettuce and ⅛ cup (2 TB) each of cheese then tomato.
- Garnish with a pinch of cilantro.
- Serve immediately.