Courgette Tostadas

Grillatut kesäkurpitsatostadat

Another day, another Mexican recipe!  I love Mexican food, I love how flavourful it is and how relaxed and social it can be.  These little tostadas have a spicy kick.  I used dried chipotle chillies to give a deep smoky flavour and paired this with crispy lettuce, avocado and griddled courgettes.  The tostadas don’t need any fancy accompaniment, just a wedge of lime and a cold beer.

Courgette Tostadas – makes 15 – 20

Tortillas

oil for frying

2 large courgettes, thinly sliced at an angle to create thin long pieces

1 dried chipotle chilli

2 tbsp pickled chopped jalapeño

5 tbsp vegan mayo (or make your own – see note below)

1 lime

a handful of chopped tarragon

a couple of  handfuls of chopped coriander

a baby gem or small cos lettuce, shredded

2 avocados sliced

1 red chilli, finely chopped

salt and pepper

 

lime wedges to serve

 

 

Start by making the tostadas.  Cut small rounds from the tortillas, around 8 – 10 cm, using a pastry cutter, or by drawing a knife around an upturned glass.  Heat a couple of decilitres of oil in a shallow frying pan.  Test the oil by dropping in an off cut of tortilla.  It should sizzle and turn golden brown.  Cook the tortilla rounds in batches, cooking until golden on each side, before removing and placing on kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil.  Sprinkle with a little salt and set to one side.

Move on to making your spicy mayo.  Cover the chipotle chilli with boiling water and allow to soften for about 15 minutes.  Remove and finely chop, before adding to the mayo with a good squeeze of lime, the tarragon , half the coriander and the chopped pickled jalapeños.  Season and mix well.

If you want to make your own mayo then add

3 tbsp aquafaba

3 tsp djon mustard

3/ 4 tsp salt (make up with a pinch of kala namak if you have it)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

a good squeeze of lemon juice

2.5 dl/ 250 ml vegetable oil

a good pinch of sugar

to a jug and use a electric stick blender to quickly whizz all the ingredients together.    This will make more mayo than you need, but it keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge.

Next heat up a griddle pan.  Toss the courgette slices in a little oil and griddle in batches  until charged on each side and softened.

Now you are ready to make up your tostadas.  Top each tortilla disc with a little crispy lettuce, a few slices of avocado and a couple of pieces of griddle courgette.  Add a good dollop of spicy mayo and a sprinkling of chopped red chilli and some of the remaining coriander.