Chile Colorado Tostadas With Pumpkin Seed And Cilantro Pesto - Red Chile Colorado

Method

• Begin by soaking your beans: The night before (or 6-8 hours before) you are going to make this dish, put beans in a big bowl. Add enough water so that beans are covered by at least four inches. Let beans soak in water for about 6-10 hours.
• Cooking the beans: When you are ready to cook the beans, drain soaking liquid from beans. Put beans in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add water, lard, 1 small chopped onion, and oregano. Turn burner on to medium high. When bean liquid starts to boil, turn heat down to low, and simmer for two hours. Add salt, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until liquid and beans taste well seasoned. If beans are not tender and taste somewhat al dente, keep simmering them on low heat. When beans have finished cooking, remove from heat. (If you are using canned beans, proceed to step 3. Just make sure to drain and thoroughly rinse your beans.)
• Beginning the chile -- roasting the bell peppers: After the beans have been cooking for about 1 1/2 hours, you can begin the chile preparations in earnest. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put both bell peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast peppers, turning with tongs, until skin is completely blackened and blistered. (This will take about 10-15 minutes per side). If you are lucky enough to have a gas stove, roast peppers directly on the burner. After peppers are roasted, remove from heat and put peppers in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for ten minutes. Remove plastic wrap and peel peppers, then slice into thin strips.
• Preparing the spices: While peppers are roasting and beans are simmering, heat small skillet over medium low. Add red chile, ancho chile, cumin and oregano to pan. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until chile powders have released their fragrances. When the chile smells pleasantly toasty, remove from heat.
• Making the chile: In large dutch oven or big saucepan/stock pot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add ground bison and ground pork. Break up with a wooden spoon and cook meat, stirring occasionally, until it is a lovely brown color. Add large chopped onion to meat and cook until onion has softened (about 10-15 minutes). Add roasted peppers and garlic. After about a minute or two, when you smell the heady garlic aroma, add 2/3 of spice mixture. Coat meat, onions, and peppers with spice mixture, then add broth from beans (remove it a ladeful at a time) from pot and beef broth. Add beans to pot. It is okay if they are not finished cooking. They will continue to cook in the chile.Turn heat up to medium high. When chile begins to boil, turn heat down to low and let chile simmer. After chile has been simmering for about 30-40 minutes, taste and add salt, 1/2 teaspoon at a time until well seasoned. If chile does not seem spicy enough to your taste, add reserved spice mixture. Chile can keep cooking until you are ready to eat or you can serve it now. This makes a perfectly wonderful red chile bowl stew that you can serve in big bowls with lots of warmed corn or flour tortillas. But if you want to make chile tostadas for a party, proceed to the next step.
• Make tostadas and prepare garnishes: While chile is cooking, make pesto (below) and get your garnishes ready. Finely dice avocado and tomato. If you haven't already done so, grate cheese. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. About fifteen minutes before your guests are ready to eat, place tostada pieces on baking sheet. Heat tostadas in oven for about five minutes. Top each tostada with a small spoonful of chile and about a tablespoon of grated cheese. Add two or three pieces each of tomato and avocado to each tostada. Top with about a teaspoon of pesto and a teaspoon of sour cream. Add a few pieces of jalapeno. Put them on a nice ceramic platter, serve them to your guests, and watch them disappear!
• Combine cilantro, garlic and pumpkin seeds in a food processor. Pulse about five times, and then begin adding olive oil, 1/4 cup at a time, to the food processor, drizzling in a little bit at a time. After you have added a 1/2 cup, check consistency. You want it to be rather thick and not too oily. Add more oil if mixture seems too stiff. Add lime zest and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the processor. Pulse a few more times, and then taste to ensure that flavors are balanced. Add additional salt or lime zest if needed. You should taste a hint of sharpness from the garlic and the citrus should also be prominent. When the flavors are to your liking, set aside.