We had our close friends over for dinner, Tod and Julie, who are recently engaged. Congratulations!!!
The dinner theme was 'mexican' if you will. I supplied the dinner and our guests supplied the tequila....wish I had changed the theme!
Tostada is a Spanish word which literally means "toasted." So, I topped our fried corn tortilla with chorizo sausage, chilpolte, cabbage, and shredded chicken then added a spoon full of guacamole and topped with lime soaked red onion and did they ever pair well with the the 'perfect' marg (recipe below).
Tostada (serves 4-5)
Ingredients:
One large breast of chicken
3 chorizo sausages (great from Cioffi's or whole foods)
Half a head of cabbage
Chicken stock 750ml
1 red onion (half chopped and half thinly sliced)
1 white onion (half chopped and half whole)
1 can of Chilpolte
1 can of whole peeled tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 bag of corn tortillas (usually 12 in a bag)
3 limes
Vegetable oil
Directions:
Thinly slice half of a red onion or use a mandolin if you have one and place in a bowl. Cover the onion with the juice from 3 limes and let sit.
Place the breast of chicken in a pot and cover with chicken stock and half of a white onion. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat to simmer and allow to cook. Roughly 12 minutes. Remove chicken and let it cool to handle then shred with your fingers and set aside in a bowl.
Remove the casing from the sausage and cook in a frying pan. Break the sausage a part in small pieces with a wooden spoon until cooked. Remove the sausage and place aside.
With the pan still warm and with the oil from the sausage, add diced white onion and half of a chopped red onion along with one clove of chopped garlic. Cook until soft then add finely chopped cabbage and cook for 3 minutes. Add 3 diced chilpolte peppers and a table spoon of sauce from the Chilpolte can. Also add 4 chopped whole tomatoes from the can and stir. Pour in 150ml of chicken stock which was used to boil the chicken. Stir for 5 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and now you're ready to serve.
While the mixture is sitting, heat vegetable oil in a pan and once hot, add one corn tortilla at a time. Cook 30 seconds a side or until lightly brown. Set a side once done and let them sit on a paper towel. Once you have enough corn tortillas cooked, place on a platter or plate and spoon on mixture. Top with your favorite guacamole recipe (mine to come one day) and your lime marinated onion. Pictures below:
My version of a 'cadillac' margarita.
1.5 ounces of fine tequila
.5 ounce of Grand Marnier
3 ounces of sweetened lime juice
A squeeze of fresh lime and fresh orange.
Shake over ice and serve.
Salt optional
