CHICKEN, AVOCADO&QUESO FRESCO TOSTADA; STEAK TACOS W/ AVOCADO&CHARRED TOMATO SALSA

CHICKEN, AVOCADO&QUESO FRESCO TOSTADA; STEAK TACOS W/ AVOCADO&CHARRED TOMATO SALSA image

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 17

Chicken tostados or tacos
1½ pounds bone-in chicken breast
2 medium cactus leaves (optional
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into ½-inch dice
½ Serrano chili, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
Salt
4 tostadas, preferably baked
¼ cup crumbled queso fresco
¾ avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise
¼ cup crema or sour cream (optional)
Place chicken in a lidded pot and just cover with water. Cover pot and set over medium-high heat. Simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 20 minutes. If using cactus, bring a separate small pot of water to a boil. Use a vegetable peeler to remove bumps containing thorns from cactus leaves. Cut away base and any rough edges, and slice into 2-by-¼-inch strips. Simmer cactus until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, place onions, tomatoes, chilies and oregano in a medium bowl. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and shred meat. Add chicken and cactus to bowl with vegetables. Toss with oil, lime juice and salt to taste.
Divide tostadas among four plates. Top with chicken mixture and garnish with queso fresco, avocado and crema, if using.

Steps:

Steak Tacos 3 medium tomatoes, halved and cored 1 fresh Serrano chili, stemmed Salt 1 pound flank steak ½ tablespoon olive oil 3 tablespoons finely diced red onion 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro 2 large ripe avocados, halved and pitted 2 limes, cut into wedges 8 fresh corn tortillas 1. Place tomatoes and chili on a roasting tray and set under the broiler. Roast, turning once, until charred all over, about 12 minutes total. Place charred tomatoes and chili in a food processor and pulse until a coarse salsa forms, about 1 minute. Season with salt to taste. Set aside. 2. Season steak with salt. Set a grill pan over high heat. Once pan is very hot, swirl in oil. Lay in steak and sear until charred and medium rare, 3-5 minutes per side. Remove steak from heat and set aside. 3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss onions with cilantro and a pinch of salt. In another small bowl, make guacamole: Mash avocado with a fork. Season to taste with juice from a few lime wedges and salt. 4. Set a stovetop burner to high. Using tongs, hold each tortilla over burner until soft and charred in spots, less than 1 minute per side. Slice steak thinly against the grain. 5. Smear guacamole over tortillas. Top with sliced steak and onion-cilantro mixture. Serve with salsa and remaining lime wedges on the side.