Hearty Bean Nachos with Spicy Salsa

cooking.nytimes.com

“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.” ― Laurie Colwin

According to Dr. Adalberto Peña de los Santos, the director of the International Nacho Festival, in Piedras Negras, Mexico, there are three timeless nacho essentials: crispy corn tortilla chips, mounds of melted cheese and at least one chile. If you want to go big, here are some unofficial guidelines: Nacho toppings should be good enough to stand on their own, the nachos should be saucy (maybe even messy) and they should be so delicious together that you can’t have just one bite. In this recipe, nachos take a vegetarian turn, with buttery pinto beans, tender carrots or sweet potatoes (or both), and a tomato-and-tomatillo salsa. Melty cheese, Mexican crema and chopped onion and cilantro take it over the top.

subheading: FOR THE SALSA:

1 ½ pounds ripe Roma tomatoes (about 5 or 6)

½ pound tomatillos (about 3 or 4), husked and rinsed

1 to 2 jalapeños, destemmed

1 to 2 chiles de árbol, destemmed

2 garlic cloves, peeled

½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, leaves and upper stems, plus 1 cup reserved for garnish

⅛ teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher or sea salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

subheading: FOR THE BEANS AND VEGETABLES:

3 cups (½-inch) diced peeled carrot or sweet potato (or a combination)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup finely chopped white onion, plus ½ cup reserved for garnish

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 ½ cups cooked, drained pinto beans (from about ¾ cup dried beans or a 15-ounce can)

subheading: FOR ASSEMBLY:

1 to 1 ½ pounds store-bought or Homemade Tortilla Chips ( see recipe)

1 pound shredded cheese (any combination of Oaxaca, Monterey Jack and Cheddar)

1 cup Mexican crema

Directions at cooking.nytimes.com

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