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Black Beans on Toast with Tomato and Avocado

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"Baked beans on toast is classic comfort food for Brits of all ages, but this bold Southwestern spin will liven up your morning in all-American style. The hearty rusticity of mashed black beans on broiled crusty bread brightened with a bit of spice, fresh cherry tomatoes, creamy avocado slices, and a good squeeze of lime is hard to resist. And you don't even have to get any pans dirty: Simply mashing the beans in a bowl with a little hot water, olive oil, and lime zest and juice achieves a nicely textured mixture. For a splash of color, heat, and acidity, add a few spicy quick-pickled onions, which can be made up to a week ahead. (You could also use store-bought pickled onions, or top the toasts with a pinch of red pepper flakes and a spritz of lime juice.) With just 20 minutes of effort, this is a fantastic upgrade to loaded toast. For an accurate measure of boiling water, bring a full kettle of water to boil and then measure out the desired amount."

List of Ingredients

◦ 4 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
◦ 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
◦ Pinch plus � teaspoon table salt, divided
◦ ⅛ teaspoon pepper, divided
◦ 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
◦ � cup boiling water
◦ � teaspoon grated lime zest plus 1 tablespoon juice
◦ 4 (�-inch-thick) slices crusty bread
◦ 1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced thin
◦ � cup Sweet-and-Spicy Pickled Red Onions (optional)
◦ � cup fresh cilantro leaves


Recipe

Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Combine tomatoes, 1 teaspoon oil, pinch salt, and pinch pepper in bowl. Mash beans, boiling water, lime zest and juice, remaining � teaspoon salt, remaining pinch pepper, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil with potato masher to coarse pur�e in second bowl, leaving some whole beans intact.

Arrange bread in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Broil until bread is deep golden and toasted on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Spread mashed bean mixture evenly on toasts and divide avocado evenly over top. Sprinkle with tomatoes; pickled onions, if using; and cilantro. Serve.

Serves 4






❧ Sweet-and-Spicy Pickled Red Onions:

◦ 1 cup red wine vinegar
◦ ⅓ cup sugar
◦ � teaspoon kosher salt
◦ 2 jalape�o chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into thin rings
◦ 1 red onion, halved and sliced thin through root end

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and jalape�os in small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves.

Place onion in medium bowl. Pour hot brine over onion, cover, and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes.
When cool, drain vegetables in colander.

Serve right away or refrigerate for 1 hour to chill first.

Makes about 1 cup