nachos

my daughter asked me for nachos so i finally gave in.
1st day -
sort, rinse and soak 2 cups pinto beans overnight in large bowl with plenty of water
2nd day -
strain the beans, place in large pot and fill pot with plenty of fresh water
add one chopped onion, 3 cloves of garlic (or garlic powder), cup of canned diced tomatoes, salt, black pepper, ground cumino, dash of tabasco,and 2 or 3 large bay leaves*
you can also add diced ham, bacon or what my dad uses - good ol' salt pork
bring water to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low [but maintain a simmer] and cook for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally [actually as long as you have enough liquid and use low heat, you can keep your beans cooking all day!] a bottle of bock beer added near the end of cooking is nice too [add to the beans, not for the cook LOL]
3rd day -
grate your cheese of choice [we use longhorn cheddar] i don't recommend american or velveeta for this - 8oz for approx. 30 nachos, more if you LOVE cheese
slice up two to three large fresh jalepenos [removing seeds]
take 10 corn tortillas and cut into fourths
heat 3 inches of oil in small pan - you want the oil hot enough so that as soon as you put your chip in, it comes up to the surface immediately - fry for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes and flip to fry other side
remove and drain on paper towels, salt immediately if desired
set chips aside and in large pan, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil or butter/margarine
drain the cooked beans and add half to hot oil, after thoroughly heating them, smash them with a potato masher and turn off the heat
pre-heat oven to 350degrees
i always line my cookie sheet with foil to avoid melted cheese on my sheet
spread smashed beans on each nacho and top with grated cheese and a slice of jalepeno
bake in oven for about 4 to 5 minutes [all your ingredients are cooked and hot so basically you just need to melt the cheese]
too many beans on your nacho will make it soft but there's no such thing as too much cheese :)
enjoy with a cold beverage - milk is good if your peppers are very hot; i prefer an icy cold beer


*i heard that the bay leaves helps reduce the gassy nature of the beans but i have no scientific proof; not cooking the beans in the water they soaked in is also recommended for this too