Molletes (Mexican Bean and Cheese Melts)

Ingredients

• 2 baguette, split lengthways
• 480 g black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 250 g oaxaca cheese, coarsely grated
• 2 tomato, finely diced
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 1 fresh chilli, seeded and minced
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• salt to taste

Method

1. 1.

   Mix the fresh salsa — Make the pico de gallo first so it has time to sit: stir the diced tomato, diced onion, chilli, cilantro, lime juice and a good pinch of salt together in a small bowl and set it aside.

2. 2.

   Refry the beans — Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the chopped onion for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the beans with 4 tablespoons of water and mash them with the back of a spoon, cooking for another 3 minutes until you have a thick paste that holds a line when you drag the spoon through it.

3. 3.

   Toast the buttered bread — Heat the oven grill to high. Butter the cut faces of the bread and toast them under the grill for about 2 minutes, until the edges are golden and the surface is dry enough to hold the beans without going soggy.

4. 4.

   Melt the cheese under the grill — Spread each half thickly with the warm beans, right to the crust, and blanket them with the grated oaxaca cheese. Return to the grill for 4-5 minutes, until the cheese has melted into a sheet and browned in blisters at the edges.

5. 5.

   Crown with salsa and serve — Lift the pico de gallo out with a slotted spoon so the juice stays behind, spoon it over the molten cheese and serve while the cheese still pulls.