Smokey and fresh this salad makes a great meal or a perfect side with your favorite tacos or grilled food.
Ingredients
Beans:
1/4 pound dry Black Beans rinsed
2 teaspoons Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Powder (or vegetable powder if making vegetarian)
2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke
2 cups Water
Escabeche Vinaigrette:
1-2 Carrots, peeled and sliced
1/4 medium Red Onion, Sliced thin
1-2 Jalapeños, sliced thin
1 teaspoon Kosher Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano
4 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
Black Pepper to taste
6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Tortilla Topping:
4 Corn Tortillas, cut into thin strips
Corn Oil
Salad:
2 heads Romaine Lettuce, washed and sliced into strips
1/4 cup Cotija or Parmesan Cheese
Prepare
FOR THE BEANS:
Rinse beans.
Place beans, tomato chicken powder, liquid smoke and water into an instapot and pressure cook on high for one hour and twenty minutes.
Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Then finish releasing the pressure.
Strain beans and allow to cool.
FOR THE ESCABECHE VINAIGRETTE:
In a large salad bowl mix carrots, onion, jalapeños, salt and Oregano. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes to let the salt start working on softening the vegetables and allium.
Mix in the red wine vinegar and allow to rest an additional 20 minutes.
Season with black pepper to taste and mix in olive oil.
FOR THE TORTILLA TOPPING:
In small sauce pan add oil to 1" and cook over medium-high heat.
Once oil is hot and not smoking (if it is too hot turn down heat and add some cold oil to quickly bring down the temperature) add tortilla strips in batches. You can crowd a little to encourage nice curls.
Fry quickly until lightly golden. This will happen very quickly. 10-20 seconds.
Place strips on to a paper towel lined plate.
TO ASSEMBLE SALAD:
Stir beans into Escabeche Vinaigrette.
Add Romaine to salad bowl and mix thoroughly to ensure all the lettuce is well coated and the beans, vegetables and allium are evenly distributed through the salad.
Sprinkle cheese over the mixed salad.
Top with crispy tortilla strips.
Makes 4 large main course salad servings or 8-12 side servings.
