In keeping with my New Year resolution to post at least once a week, I am either going to post recent cookery or post the back-log of items I have recorded in my long blogging absence. So far, so cooked.
I have been eating out entirely too much lately. Mostly out of laziness and convenience, but I realized that, although I'd been buying some decent food, I've been purchasing some pretty mediocre fare as well.
I'd been left with a large surplus of pickles, leftovers, and pantry stock that has been untouched for some weeks. I blame the holidays for the neglect, as I've perpetually been given food--and the cheap bastard I am--I am always reticent to turn it away.
I have finally worked my way through the gratis food and became determined to use my current cache and cease paying for drab local stomach-filler when I could at least be making it myself.
On these excursions, I'd usually be picking something up from a market for later preparation. The most prominent among ingredients coming from mercados that I frequent.
I didn't make anything genius today, but it was surprising that it worked and better that it fed two dudes with lasting satiation. And with that, I give you the tostada pizza:
I was particularly weary with this concoction because I had no hand in the creation of a few toppings that I would normally make for myself: those being the crust, the refried beans, and salsa.
The crust was a package of add-water-to pizza mix (gifted), the refried beans out of the can, and the salsa being leftover from Lalo's that I am still in the process of reverse engineering for personal recreation.
Lalo's sala has a tomatillio, heat provided by serrano peppers, finely diced onions, lime juice, some garlic, and some cinnamon. This is all I can tell so far. You can buy a 16 oz soda cup for 4 bones to take with, or 8 for a 32 oz cup.
At least they were these beans
The assemblage of this pizza starts with a prepared package of pizza dough laid out and dotted for bubble prevention. Upon this is smeared a heated can of beano refrito and then topped with the Lalo's salsa. Tostada shells are cracked, and pressed into the beans and then covered with quartered pieces of provolone. For toppings, I used sliced red onion, diced tomatoes, and sliced olives. I like the soft sweeten taste of cooked tomatoes and the cool feel of fresh tomatoes against a hot pie post bake, so I topped the pizza with half the tomatoes before baking, and threw the other half on before consuming.
Here is the end result after 600°F for 12 minutes in my electric oven.
As I do with all my pizzas that I remove from the oven, I crushed oregano flakes (Mexican in this case) over it for the pleasant fragrance and a twist of pepper and toss of sea salt.
I would've added crushed chili flakes, but Lalo's salsa is spicy and robust enough a flavor to deal with the unseasoned toppings.
The result: A Taco Bellish version of a tostada in the vein of the Double Decker Taco. Soft crust, beanie interval with a splash of salsa flair, followed by the chewy stretch of the provolone before the mix of cool tomato pressing down across my palate on top of firm black olives and follow-up crunchy bite of subdued baked red onion.
Tasted better than a Double Decker but took two hours of prep and cook time. Mind you I didn't miss any work, as my kitchen is 10 ft from my work station at home, duh!
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