Recipe - Black Bean Nachos

FOR NACHOS:
Corn oil
2 Flour tortillas (8")
2 Chorizo or spicy sausage
1 cup Black bean pesto
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shred
2 tablespoon Chopped cilantro (coriander)
FOR BLACK BEAN PESTO:
8 ounce Dried black beans
1 qt Water
1 Bay leaf
1 Ham hock
2 Jalapenos, seeded
2 cl Garlic
Stems from 2 bunchs of
Cilantro (fresh coriander)
Salt/fresh ground pepper

For Black Bean Pesto:

Rinse and drain beans thoroughly. Place them in a large saucepan or soup
kettle and add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat,
simmer, uncovered, for 1 One half hours.

Remove and discard ham hock and bay leaf. Using slotted spoon, transfer
bean mixture, in batches, to the bowl of a food processor. Process, adding
cooking liquid as necessary to form a smooth, thick paste. You will use a
total of about 1 cup liquid.

Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the salt and pepper if needed.
Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. Will keep in fridge for 23 days.
Yield: 3 cups.

Nachos:

Preheat oven to 375F. Fill a heavy skillet with 1/2" corn oil. Heat it
until oil just starts to move. Then fry the tortillas, one at a time, until
light golden brown, about 15 seconds on each side. Drain on paper towels.

Slice chorizo into 1/4" thick rounds and saute them in a small skillet
until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage from skillet and drain on
paper towel.

Place tortillas on baking sheet, and spread pesto evenly over them. Arrange
sausage over pesto and sprinkle with cheese. Top with chopped cilantro.

Bake until brown, 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cut each tortilla into
eight pieces. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings or 16 appetizers