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Quick Bites - Chorizo and Roasted Garlic "Tostadas"

When my sister, brother and I were younger the three of us were fascinated by my father's Aunt, Antoinette. She loved to play Indian poker with us, which is popular variation of classic poker. Using one deck of cards, the dealer deals a card, face down, to each player around the table. The players then place the cards on their foreheads with one hand, so all players except themselves can see what they’re playing with. We always played the games with pennies and every time she heard we were coming for a visit she would say "bring your pennies".

In addition to her crazy poker game she also lived in Tucson and was a fan of the Tostada. She made these for us all of time, but as I grew older and started eating at Mexican restaurants I realized that her "tostada" was really a quesadilla. Tostada is a Spanish word translating to "toasted" in English and, in Latin American cuisine, refers to a flat tortilla that is toasted or deep fried.

So this weekend my friends threw a Treso de Mayo party (the third of May as opposed to the fifth) and I made a version of Antoinette's "tostada". My Chorizo and Roasted Garlic "Tostadas" were a hit.

Note that if you already have roasted garlic in the fridge this recipe will take no time, but if you do not have the garlic, place your cloves into a big piece of foil, add olive oil, tent to allow the garlic some space to cook and place in the oven at 350 for about 30-45 minutes.

- 1 lb of chorizo, sauteed over medium heat until cooked through
- 1/2 medium sized onion sauteed over medium heat until translucent
- 20- 30 cloves of garlic, roasted and mashed using a mortar
- 2 cups each of cheddar and monterey jack cheese
- 20 medium sized flour tortillas

Spread a little bit of the roasted garlic onto 10 of the tortillas. Place about 1/4 cup each of the cheeses onto one of the tortillas, cover with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the chorizo on top of the cheese, add about 1/4 cup each of the cheeses on top of the chorizo and then place another tortilla on top of the meat and cheese pile.

Place into a sautee pan or grill pan and toast on each side for about 3-4 minutes. Once one side has toasted use a spatula to flip over.

Complete until all of your meat and cheese has disappeared in between two tortillas. Cut into triangles and serve.

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Fava Bean Bruschetta With Mint and Basil

On Saturday mornings in Noe Valley on 24th a farmer's market takes place. This is nothing like the big farmer's market that takes place at the Ferry Building downtown. The Noe Valley farmer's market is very small, only about 15 vendors, and it is difficult to walk out of there without spending the prior week's paycheck. You do get what you pay for however and last Saturday was no exception. My friend Jeffrey and I were strolling the aisles of a vegetable purveyor and there they were. Big and fat and green fava beans... AND... they were already shelled.

If you have never shelled fava beans before I recommend staying away from the task. It is daunting, time consuming and a big pain in the butt. To have access to shelled favas was something that we could not pass up, but what to do with these tasty lime green delicious treats?

During a recent dinner at Bar Bambino, an amazing Italian restaurant in the Mission District of San Francisco, my friends and I sampled some creative bruschetta, the best was the Chickpeas With Minced Roasted Olive Bits. Thinking back on this experience I was inspired not only by the bruschetta at Bar Bambino, but also by the fresh herbs and Meyer lemons that were staring me in the face.

So I picked up about 3 cups of shelled fava beans, fresh mint and basil and Meyer lemons. Jeffrey chose a rustic wheat bread to toast and serve the fava beans with.

Here is how you make this amazing bruschetta.

- Whichever you choose, baguette, rustic wheat, etc. slice thin and toast in the oven until crispy and golden brown.
- 2-3 cups of shelled favas (steamed for about 5 minutes or until soft to the bite, but not mushy)
- 2 tbsp each of Fresh mint and basil, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp Olio N'uovo or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix very well. Add salt and pepper, taste and adjust flavor accordingly. You may need or want to add more Meyer lemon juice.

Serve atop toasted bread.