Steak Nachos

Description

Nachos are an iconic Mexican-American dish that are popular in bars and restaurants throughout the United States. The origin of this dish can be traced to the Northern Mexican city of Piedras Negras in 1943. As the story goes, a group of US military wives, whose husbands were stationed in the nearby Fort Duncan, visited the Old Victory Club restaurant for dinner. All of the restaurants at the time were closed for the evening, but the restaurant’s chef Ignacio Anaya offered to prepare a meal for these women using leftovers from the kitchen. He fried some tortilla chips, covered them in sliced cheddar cheese and jalapeño slices, and baked the creation for a few minutes. After enjoying the dish, the women asked Ignacio what the dish was called, to which he replied “Nacho’s Special” (Nacho is a common nickname for Ignacio), and thus the dish was born. The most common preparation of nachos that can be found in restaurants always include tortilla chips and cheese, and usually include some kind of meat, salsa, sour cream and guacamole, although toppings can vary from place to place. Some of the more common meat toppings include ground beef, steak and grilled chicken.

Ingredients

• 6 corn tortillas (or pre-made corn tortilla chips)

• 2 cups vegetable oil

• Carne asada, cut into cubes (see recipe)

• Sour cream

• 1/4 cup canned pinto beans

• 1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

• 1 jalapeño pepper, cut into rings

 Guacamole

• 2 ripe avocados

• ½ small onion, diced

• 1 small handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

• 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, finely diced

• Juice of 1 lime

• Salt

Pico de Gallo

• 3 tomatoes, seeded and diced

• ½ large white onion (diced fine)

• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, finely diced

• 1 small handful cilantro leaves, finely chopped

• Juice of 1 lime

• Salt

Preparation

Cut the tortillas into 6 even triangles. Spread them on a baking sheet and allow them to sit out for 12-24 to dry out. Heat the oil in a pot over medium high heat. In batches, fry the chips for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Remove, drain on a paper towel, and salt immediately. Make sure to remove the chips when they just start to turn light brown, because they will continue to brown after you remove them.

To make pico de gallo, mix all ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste with salt. If you don’t like it too spicy, remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeño.

To make guacamole, add all ingredients to a bowl. Using a fork, mash everything together until no lumps remain. Season to taste with salt.

Arrange the tortilla chips on a small baking tray. Top with the cheese, steak, beans and jalapeño slices. Bake for 2-4 minutes at 400 degrees, or just until the cheese melts. You can also do this in the microwave with a non-metal tray. Immediately top with the sour cream, pico de gallo and guacamole and serve immediately.

Notes

• You can use pickled jalapeño slices instead of fresh, if you prefer.