I brought home these beautiful fruits, veggies, and herbs from Hollygrove market this week, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. Usually indecision leads to Mexican food because the flavors are exciting yet versatile, and there’s a major emphasis on fresh ingredients.

Once I was eating at Johnny Sanchez in New Orleans, and the chef Aarón Sanchez was in the restaurant that day. Since we were a group of 16 there for a birthday party, he came by to say hello. Upon leaving, he reminded us, “Everything is better inside a tortilla.” in a perfectly autentico accent. Who am I to disagree with Chopped Judge and, according to Ted Allen, “latin cuisine authority” Aaron Sanchez? Therefore, tostadas it is.

We’re going to work backwards for this recipe, starting with the salsa and ending with the tortilla.

First things first, peel the grapefruit. Mine doesn’t look like a conventional grapefruit from the supermarket, but herein lies the joys and mystery of farm-driven cooking.

After segmenting the grapefruit I decided to throw in an orange as well because I am a citrus-crazed wacky gal. Don’t try and stop me.

Finely chop some cilantro and throw that into the bowl with the fruit. Season with a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Now please turn your attention to that beautiful bunch of purple top turnips. Trim the ends and give them a good rinse. Once we’re done with them, these lil guys will look just like potatoes, but will have that wonderful earthiness which is inherent to turnips.

Cut each turnip into approximately 1/2 inch cubes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt about a tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is barely brown, toss in the turnips.

Season those seasonal babies with salt, pepper, and equal parts cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder. This not only gives the turnips lots of zesty flavor, but a nice color as well. Toss to coat and let cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Squeeze in the juice of half a lime and let cook for 5 more minutes.

While the turnips are cooking, prep your beans. If I weren’t a full time student/nanny/busy person who also likes netflix, I would use dried black beans. However, I am all the aforementioned things, so I’m using canned beans. I do try to get those with the lowest sodium content because canned goods can be a secret source of an exorbitant amount of salt.

Give the beans a good rinse. Then give them another. And another.

Add them to a small saucepan over low heat just to get them warmed up. Using a fork or potato masher, squish the beans until they have reduced to a paste. Add water a teaspoon at a time until the paste is smooth and easily spreadable. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste.

I must have been distracted or just having too much fun while I was cooking because I didn’t manage to snap pics of the finished turnips or the black bean mash. My apologies, they will be shown in the final product.

Finally, time to turn our tortillas into tostadas.

In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, warm a drizzle of olive oil. Place in one tortilla at a time (or more if the size of your skillet allows it).

Let crisp for about two minutes then flip to the other side.

Once both sides are crispy, transfer the tortilla to a plate that has been lined with a paper towel. Season with salt. Repeat with 1-4 more tortillas.

Let the assembly commence. Place tortillas on a dry, clean work surface. Spread a layer of black bean mash as the base. Spoon on a serving of turnips, and a bit of citrus salsa.

Serve with a lime wedge and buen provecho!

 

Turnip Tostadas with black bean mash and citrus salsa

Serves: 2-3 (4-6 tostadas)

Level: Easy

Ingredients

For the salsa:

1 grapefruit

1 orange

3 T cilantro, finely chopped

Juice of half a lime

1 pinch salt

For the turnips:

1 bunch purple top turnips, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 T butter

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t smoked paprika

1/2 chili powder

Juice of half a lime

Salt and pepper to taste

For the black bean mash:

1 can black beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed

3-5 t water

Salt to taste

Red pepper flakes to taste

For the tortillas:

4-6 corn tortillas

2 T olive oil

1 pinch salt

 

Segment the orange and grapefruit and combine in a bowl with cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large, nonstick pan and wait for it to brown slightly. Add turnips and toss to coat. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, and chile powder. Let cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Squeeze in lime juice, stir, and let cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the turnips are cooking, mash black beans over low heat. Add water and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick pan. Add a tortilla and wait for the bottom side to crisp up, about 2 minutes. Flip and wait for that side to crisp. Transfer to a plate that has been lined with a paper towel. Season with salt. Continue with the remainder of the tortillas.

Assemble the tostada by spreading a layer of black bean mash on each tortilla. Top with turnips and salsa.

Serve with lime & enjoy!