Cinco de mayo is one of my favorite holidays because I hold a special place in my heart for Mexican culture and heritage, even though it doesn’t quite belong to me. I have so eagerly adopted it as part of my own in many ways because…
a) the traditions, language and culture are all so incredibly rich, colorful and meaningful
b) the food! It has so much soul, so much history, so much flavor.
These homemade chorizo and refried black bean tacos with zucchini are a loving gringa nod to some of my favorite flavors in authentic mexican cuisine. The range of chiles’ flavors is vast and multifarious, anywhere from deep and smoky, to intensely spicy. For me, a high quality ancho chile powder can encapsulate the depth of a the smoky, dried poblano in a pinch. This and a few other ingredients are really all you need to easily make your own “homemade” chorizo. I prefer making my own because store-bought chorizo is typically very fatty and full of additives that I don’t care for. You could add this to tacos, queso fundido, even on top of a pizza!
As for the refried black beans, well, I just really love refried black beans. Spread them on a freshly made (or bought) tortilla and top with homemade chorizo, sautéed zucchini, vine-ripened tomatoes, crumbled queso fresco and a drizzle of crema mexicana and you’re ready for a fiesta!
- ½ pound dried black beans
- 2 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
- 6 cups chicken broth
- salt to taste
- Place black beans in a pot and cover with water to soak 1 hour.
- Heat a large dutch oven to medium and cook bacon, about 3 minutes. Add onion, jalapeño, garlic, and cumin seed and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add in beans and broth and cook, covered, for about 2 hours until beans are soft and have soaked up a lot of the broth.
- Using an immersion blender (or transferring the beans in batches to a regular blender with secured lid), blend the beans until smooth. Cook about 10 more minutes once pureed.
- 1 pound ground pork, well marbled
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika (pimenton)
- 1 Tablespoon ancho chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Thoroughly combine all ingredients together with hands. (If you are a pro sausage-maker, go ahead and use your sausage stuffer to make links, but if you're using right away it isn't necessary!)
- If you are not casing the sausage, for best results, cover and refrigerate for a few hours before using. Brown the meat when ready to add to recipe.
- 10-12 Tortillas of choice (pictured are raw flour tortillas, cooked to crispy)
- 4-5 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 zucchini, sliced and sautéed in olive oil
- crema mexicana
- queso fresco
- Assemble tacos by spreading refried black beans on tortilla, spooning some homemade chorizo, tomatoes, zucchini, drizzling crema mexicana and crumbling some queso fresco.
- Enjoy!
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