Super Nachos

    Well, we are officially kitchenless.  So, my parents invited us over for a Cinco de Mayo celebration last night.  I brought my camera along hoping for something I could blog about.  My mom was a little over zealous and doubled two different recipes.  After the first dish, no one had any room left to even take a bite of the second.  Here are my mom's Super Nachos, a recipe she got from Rachel Ray.

Super Nachos
Recipe from Rachel Ray

Ingredients
2 bags corn tortilla chips in 2 colors or different flavors

Pico de Gallo Salsa:
4 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
Salt

Beef and Beans Topping:
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground sirloin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp dark chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp  cayenne pepper sauce
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Cheese Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3/4 pound pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)

Method

1. Arrange the chips on a very large platter or baking sheet.

2. Combine salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, onion and peppers to the pan and saute 2 minutes. Then add the meat and crumble with wooden spoon. Season meat with salt, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper sauce. Cook meat 5 minutes, then stir in beans and reduce heat to low.
4. In a medium sauce pot, melt butter and add flour to it. Cook flour and butter 1 to 2 minutes over moderate heat, then whisk in milk. When milk comes to a bubble, stir in cheese with a wooden spoon. Remove cheese sauce from the heat.
5. Pour cheese sauce evenly over the massive spread of chips and top evenly with beef and beans and the pico de gallo.  To avoid soggy chips, you may have guests plate their own nachos.

The Taste Test
These nachos were a big hit with my family.  My mom said they were a lot of work.  Rachel Ray said the prep time was only 30 minutes but I think it took longer than that.  My mom would also probably recommend wearing gloves to remove the seeds from the peppers.  Her hands were on fire and we ended up Googling remedies.  She ended the night with her hands soaking in milk.  Thanks to my family for welcoming us in and keeping our bellies full while our kitchen is under construction.  

What is left of our kitchen...

The demolition team.