Eggplant, Black Bean and Cotija Tostada with Spicy Tomatillo Jalapeno Salsa

We don't do much southwestern cooking at home, so my image of tostados is from Taco Bell commercials.   I pictured a crunchy, deep-fried shell with little taste, but our tostados were soft and golden brown with lots of fresh corn flavor.  The trick is to gently fry the tortillas just before assembling your tostadas.  The Spicy tomatillo jalapeno salsa can be made ahead of time, so just pick your fresh eggplant and tomatoes and dinner will be ready in no time.  We used Cloud Nine and Thai Hybrid Tiger eggplants, Matt's Wild Cherry tomatoes and cilantro from the garden. I wish we had an avocado tree, but for now the avocados are store-bought.

Eggplant, Black Bean and Cotija Tostados with Spicy Tomatillo Jalapeno Salsa 
(makes enough for 4-6 depending on how much you load the tostadas)

Ingredients

2                 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4    cup     cilantro (or what you pick from the garden), chopped
2       cans    black beans (30 oz total), drained and rinsed
3/4    tsp      salt
1       lb       eggplant, sliced thinly
2                 avocado, chopped
1       pkg    corn tortillas
1       cup     cotija cheese, grated
1       cup     cherry tomatoes
                   Spicy Tomatillo Jalapeno Salsa
                   vegetable oil, olive oil

Procedure

1. Combine beans with 2 cups water and bring to a simmer uncovered.  Cook about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Drain beans but RESERVE LIQUID.  
2. Puree beans, 1/4 cup of cooking liquid, and garlic until smooth
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and fry eggplant until golden brown.  Flip and repeat.  Remove from pan to paper towels to dry.
   
4. Heat 3 Tbs vegetable oil over moderate heat, then add beans and cook until very thick, about 5 minutes.  Add salt and remove from stove.  You may have extra beans (we did).  If so, refrigerate and use later.  If beans get too thick to spread, just add some more of the reserved cooking liquid.
   
5. Heat tortillas in vegetable oil over moderate heat until golden brown.  Flip over and repeat.
6. Assemble tostadas:  spread beans over bottom, then salsa, then eggplant slices, avocado, and tomatoes.  Top with cheese and sprinkle with cilantro.
   

Spicy Tomatillo Jalapeno Salsa

We are enjoying beautiful autumn weather at last, but the summer vegetable harvest continues. Eggplant, tomatoes, tomatillos and jalapenos are still plentiful in the garden, so we decided to create a meal that celebrates many of those summer vegetables while they're still around.  A spicy, smoky salsa seemed the perfect place to start.  We paired the salsa with eggplant, black bean and cotija tostadas (recipe coming soon), and had enough salsa left over to use for several days.  This salsa has a kick that stands up to bold flavors, but it doesn't overwhelm the subtle eggplant and cotija flavors in our tostada.  

We are really falling in love with the uniquely sweet and tart flavor of tomatillos.  They are are also good for you.  Tomatillos are an excellent source of iron, vitamin C, niacin and potassium.  This salsa is loaded with complex flavors, but it has zero fat.  Do we have your attention now?  Our friend and fellow blogger Diana had the great idea of freezing extra tomatillos at the end of the season, but they taste so good that it will be a challenge to save any for long.

Spicy Tomatillo Jalapeno Salsa

Ingredients

4       cloves      garlic, whole but peeled

1       pound      tomatillos, husks removed and cut in half

2                      jalapenos (with their seeds), coarsely chopped

                        (feel free to use more if you're a heat freak)

3/8    cup         cilantro (more or less), coarsely chopped

1/2    cup         white onion, finely chopped

1       tsp          salt

Procedure

1. Line a 10" cast-iron skillet with aluminum foil.  
2. Pre-heat empty skillet on stove over moderate heat.
3. When pan is hot, add 2 garlic cloves and half the tomatillos, cut sides down, and roast until well browned.  Flip over and repeat.  Tomatillos should be completely soft.  Total time is 8-10 minutes.
4. Put cooked tomatillos and garlic in food processor (but don't do anything yet), line pan with clean foil, and repeat process with remaining garlic and tomatillos.
5. When all the tomatillos and garlic are cooled to room temperature, add the jalapenos and cilantro to everything in the food processor.  Add 2 Tbs water and pulse until sauce is chunky.  If it's too thick, add 1 more Tbs water.
6. Remove from food processor and add onion and salt.
7. Serve immediately or refrigerate.  (Ours was still fresh and full of flavor 3 days later.  It may keep even longer than that if you can keep yourself from eating it all).
   

Tomatillo Corn Chowder

Too pretty to eat?  That didn't stop us.  And not just easy on the eyes, tomatillos are easy to grow in the hot, humid weather we enjoy (that enjoy part was said with just a bit of saracasm).  Sometimes referred to as Mexican tomato or husk tomato, the tomatillo is a tomato relative.  Both are members of the nightshade family which also includes eggplants, potatoes and peppers (and some highly toxic, poisonous stuff we'll leave for another time).  Tomatillos develop slowly while encased inside a big, round, papery cocoon.  It looks odd enough to fascinate the kids, and they also enjoy palpating the cocoon every few days to feel the fruit inside growing.  Starting out no bigger than a pea, the tomatillo gradually grows to fill the husk with a fruit that is firm, heavy and dense.  They have a great shelf life once harvested (two weeks or more in the refrigerator), and they are also beautiful.  Ours are a gorgeous glossy green the color of Granny Smith apples. 

We started tomatillo seeds back in May, and totally ignored them as soon as the seedlings were in the ground.  Luckily, these plants don't need a lot of attention and they love the heat.  They have become enmeshed with our White Dixie baby butter bean vines in a sprawling mess in the back yard, but it seems to be a happy marriage for all.  The White Dixie vines are loaded with massive quantities of fat bean pods, and there are tomatillos in their papery husks hanging everywhere.   The tomatillos resemble green Chinese lanterns adorning the plants.

Although we live in Texas, our cooking usually features Asian or Mediterranean flavors.   Since tomatillos don't often appear in those cuisines, we opted for a Southwestern soup to use our tomatillos along with our Anaheim and jalapeno chiles.  Ironically, we selected a recipe from rebar written by two Canadian restaurant owners.  Even though the authors live in the Pacific Northwest, they know how to make great Southwestern vegetarian food.  We love this cookbook, and if we ever make it to Victoria, rebar will be our first stop.

Tomatillo Corn Chowder
adapted from rebar by Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz

Ingredients

8        cups         vegetable stock
5                        Anaheim chiles, seeded
1 1/2   lb            tomatillos, husks removed
                          vegetable oil
1                        yellow onion, diced
10                      garlic cloves, minced
                          salt
1         tsp           coriander
3         Tbs          oregano
4                        jalapeno, seeded and minced
1                         zucchini, diced
2                         potatoes, diced
3         cups         corn
1         cup          1/2 & 1/2
1         tsp            black pepper
                           fresh cilantro, chopped

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 400.  Cut Anaheim chiles in half.  Toss tomatillos lightly in vegetable oil.  Roast chiles and tomatillos on a sheet pan until the skins are slightly charred.  Remove from the oven, dice the Anaheims and chop the tomatillos.
2. Saute onion in oil over medium high until translucent.  Add garlic, 1 tsp salt, and spices.  Add the jalapenos, zucchini, potatoes, and 1 tsp salt.  Saute for several minutes, then add the stock.  Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender.
3. Add corn, chiles, and tomatillos.  Simmer 10 more minutes.  Add the 1/2 & 1/2, and more stock if needed.  Remove 1/2 the soup and puree.  Season with salt and pepper.  
4. Garnish with cilantro when serving. 
   

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