Step-by-Step Tostados

No need to buy crispy tostados, or to deep fry at home, when you can follow this simple technique: baste tortillas lightly with vegetable oil and place on a cookie sheet, cook for 8 minutes in a 400 degree F. oven, flip and toast for two more minutes. Done and Done. In the above photo Cafe Drake HRV used whole wheat tortillas, hence the dark color.

Secondly, top toasted tortillas with pinto beans. The canned pintos are fine for most recipes but just take a look at that picture and salivate - best to cook dried pinto beans like we did from scratch, with a bit of onion and celery seed. There is simply NO other way to accomplish the commingled glory of texture and creaminess.

Forgive the blurriness but these tostados were positively steaming with the next layer of ground chicken pan-fried with onions, garlic, minced prunes, jalapenos, chicken stock, cilantro and cumin.

Cafe Drake HRV now lightly tossed grated Dry Jack cheese over our tostados.

The Beauty of It All is the One Plate Meal! Finishing flourishes of shredded romaine lettuce, red onion and pico de gallo completed our dinner.