David's tostadas: Awesome and economical

David made the most amazing tostadas last night.

He's a fantastic cook, but I have to admit I wasn't super excited when he proposed a dinner of corn tortillas, refried beans and eggs. Trust me, it's light years better than it sounds!

David also grilled some scrumptious lemon chicken. The table was a virtual smorgasbord of savory taste bites and south-of-the-border condiments, but when all was said and done, the tostadas were best exactly how he prepared them, without any chicken, bells or whistles.

Here's the recipe:

• 1 large medium-hot pepper
• 1 package prepared corn tostadas or corn tortillas
• 1 can organic refried black beans with jalapenos
• 1 batch Spanish rice, homemade or combine mix with one can diced tomatoes and chiles/jalapenos/habaneros
• Cheese (colby/jack/cheddar if you want to melt it, or queso fresco)
• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced (buy one that's slightly soft, cutting/pitting demo here)
• Eggs
• Water
• Fresh cilantro, washed and lightly chopped

These are prepared individually; the number of tortillas and eggs needed will be based on the number of people served. Two per person would be very filling, especially if you have side dishes. Hint: The easiest way to make these is to roast the peppers when the grill's already fired up for another meal, and cook the Spanish rice ahead of time.

Tortilla/tostada: If using corn tortillas, pan fry in hot oil until crisp and drain on paper towels; set aside.

Rice: Prepare the Spanish rice. If using a bagged or boxed mix, reduce the amount of water and add the can of tomatoes. Set aside.

Hot pepper (David used Cubanelles): Split the hot pepper lengthwise, and remove stem and seeds. Grill on hot grill until blackened

and slightly soft inside. You could probably also blacken it in a hot cast iron pan with a very small amount of oil. Cool and slice, leaving the skin intact.

Poached egg: In your smallest pan, bring water to a rapid boil. Crack an egg into the water and boil for a minute. Remove from heat, cover and let set about 3 minutes; it should be bright white outside, and the bright yellow of the yolk should fade until it's barely yellow. Personally I think it's better if the yolk is a little runny.

Assembly: 

• During the 2-3 minute egg wait, quickly stir up the refried black beans and spread on the tostadas/tortillas. 
• Top with Spanish rice and cheese; microwave if desired. 
• Top with the chopped blackened pepper. 
• Remove poached egg from water with a slotted spoon; let any water run back into the pan, then place egg on the tostado.
• Surround egg with avocado slices.
• Top with fresh cilantro. 
• That's it--enjoy!