On the odd occasion we’ve been privy to grandmothers cooking with their own grandchildren, witnessing the passing-on of skills, recipes and traditions from withered, wrinkled hands to tiny ones not yet trusted to hold a knife alone. Such was the case at Betsy’s in Mexico City.
With the patience of a saint, Betsy took to the chopping board with seven-year-old Bella to chop an onion, teaching her how to take proper hold of a knife, the technique she uses to slice and finely dice. One deft move for her, a great deal of concentration for Bella. Still, it has taken Betsy a lifetime to perfect. What struck us was the gentleness with which grandmother taught granddaughter, a willingness to spend time that perhaps parents aren’t lucky enough to afford their own children.
We ate for hours, alternating between rice and crispy tostadas as a base for our spicy chicken and spoonfuls of black beans, no real rush to leave the table. It was here that we learned the term sobremesa, the ultimate dining experience, in which Mexicans hang out at the table from lunch until dinner, filling the space between with leftovers, snacks and conversation.
Abuela Betsy's Mexican Chicken Tostadas (tingas de pollo)
(Feeds 4-6)
Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
½ large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
4 chicken breasts
8 soft tortillas (preferably corn), cut into small discs
200g cottage cheese or sour cream
For the sauce
7 plum tomatoes, chopped into quarters
½ large onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 chipotle chillies from a tin, or 2 tsp chipotle paste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, cut in half and sliced into half-moons
For the refried beans
1 tsp olive oil
½ large onion, diced
2 x 400g tins black beans
Method
Put a medium-sized pan on medium heat and add the olive oil. Soften the onion and garlic, about 8 minutes, and add the chicken breasts. Stir and brown a little.
Add a pinch of salt to the pan and follow with enough water to just cover the chicken. Put the lid on and cook for around 40 minutes. Skim off any foam that gathers on the top.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pulse the tomatoes, onion, garlic and chipotle chillies or paste in a blender – do it in two batches if you need to, adding a little water if necessary. The result should be thinner than a smoothie, more like a spicy tomato juice.
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Hold a sieve over the pan and pour the tomato sauce in. Use a spoon to push the sauce through the sieve to remove skin and seeds. Add the sliced onion, season to taste, stir and let simmer for 20 minutes.
While the chicken and sauce both simmer away, start preparing your tostadas. Use a cookie cutter to cut discs, around 8–10cm, out of your tortillas – as many as you can. Lay out on a baking tray and brush with olive oil. Set aside and turn the oven on to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the water. Leave until cool enough to handle, then shred and add to the sauce.
For the beans: soften the onion in the oil in a medium saucepan for 8 minutes on a medium heat, then add the beans and their liquid and bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has reduced a bit.
Once the beans are soft, remove from the heat and use a potato masher to mash the beans until smooth and creamy. Taste and season – and don’t worry if the mixture is a touch runny, once you’ve left it to cool slightly the beans will thicken more.
While the beans cook, pop the tostadas in the oven for 8 minutes, or until crisp and slightly golden.
Transfer everything to serving dishes and lay out for your guests to assemble: smear a tostada with refried beans, followed with a spoonful of chicken and topped with a dollop of cottage cheese or sour cream (Betsy uses panella cheese or queso fresco).
