I made these Black Bean Nachos tonight because it feels like it should be the weekend and nachos scream Friday night treat to me. I know it's only Wednesday night, but this week has been full-on with a hospital appointment and the Ploughing. For any of the non-Irish people who follow my recipes and who will have no idea what the Ploughing is, how best shall I explain this phenonomen. Basically, it involves over 300,000 people gathering in a large field in the middle of the country to look at random farm machinery, to watch fashion shows and cookery demos and do lots of other random stuff. There is some actually ploughing of fields involved but most people don't seem to pay attention to that part. It's Europe's largest outdoor event, a total Irish institution and involves ALOT of walking, some serious crowd negotiating and coffee on repeat. I feel like I have a Ploughing hangover today without any of the fun of a night out, so these nachos were the just the thing I needed.
This is a recipe I should have blogged at the start of the summer as in no way does it scream Autumn comfort food. But I've been meaning to blog it for ages and in any case, I'm a nachos all year round person so here we are in the middle of September and serving up a sunny treat.
The key to good nachos is to choose a mild flavoured corn chip. Avoid the cheese, chilli and even the salted flaoured ones. Instead, chose plain chips and let the add-ons do the talking. The next thing to think about is the toppings and I like to start with the black beans cooked with onion, garlic and spices. Next, add all the usual suspects: pico de gallo, homemade guacamole and some creme fraiche. You can add more if you wish like extra chillis, sweet corn or grated cheddar cheese.
Keep scrolling for the recipe for my Black Bean Nachos with all the extras. PS: Margaritas are optional!
Black Bean Nachos
(serves 4)
Ingredients
For the black beans
1 400g tin black beans
1 white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
10-12 stems of fresh coriander (set the leaves aside)
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of a lime
Sea salt to season
For the Pico de Gallo
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ green chilli, finely chopped
Small bunch coriander leaves, finely chopped
Juice of half a lime
Sea salt to season
For the guacamole
2 ripe avocados
Juice of a lime
Sea salt and black pepper to season
To serve:
150g Corn chops
1 Spring onion, finely sliced
3 tbsp Crème Fraiche
Method
To make the black beans, heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and reduce the heat to low. Cook for ten minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Add the chopped coriander stems and the garlic and cook for a further two minutes. Add the cumin, chilli and black beans and give everything a stir and cook for a further two minutes. Remove from the heat and season with sea salt and a squeeze of lime juice.
To make the pico de gallo, combine the tomatoes, chilli and coriander in a bowl and season with sea salt and lime juice.
To make the guacamole, mash the avocado and lime juice well. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
Place the chips on the base of your serving dish and spoon the hot black bean mixture on top. Add a few spoonfuls of the pico de gallo, the guacamole and crème fraiche. Top with a squeeze of lime juice and some slices of spring onion.
Note: If you like cheese, add some grated cheddar cheese on top of the hot black beans and place in a hot oven to melt before adding the pico de gallo, guacamole and crème fraiche.
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