Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 14 oz can black beans
• tortillas
• tomatillo salsa
• queso fresco, crumbled
• cilantro, finely chopped
• sliced onion

Method

Blend the drained black beans with 120ml of the reserved canning liquid until completely smooth — you're aiming for the consistency of double cream, thick enough to cling to a tortilla but still pourable. If the mixture seizes and turns grainy, you've over-blended; add water a tablespoon at a time until it loosens. Transfer to a shallow pan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until steam rises steadily and the first bubbles break the surface. Season with salt in small increments — the beans concentrate as they warm, so undersalt initially and taste again before serving. The cooking stage matters: a cold sauce reads as unfinished and won't bind properly to the tortillas.

Dipping-sauce technique is central here. Pour a thin layer of the warm bean purée into the base of each plate — roughly 2cm deep. Working quickly, dip each tortilla into the remaining beans in the pan, rotating it through the sauce for two to three seconds per side until both surfaces are saturated but the tortilla still holds its shape. The heat and moisture soften the corn without making it impossible to fold. Fold the tortilla into quarters and lay it on the bed of sauce, then spoon another layer of beans over the top, filling any gaps between the folds. The legumes should seal the structure and warm the tortilla from both sides.

Crown each plate with a stripe of tomatillo salsa across the beans — this prevents the cilantro from wilting into invisibility and keeps the plate's temperature in check. Scatter the crumbled queso fresco generously; it'll soften slightly from the residual heat but won't melt into an oil slick if you plate quickly. Finish with a handful of finely chopped cilantro and a modest handful of sliced onion, which provides textural contrast and a bright bite against the bean's earthiness. The raw onion cuts through the richness of the cheese and sauce, a principle borrowed directly from mexican-cuisine tradition: balance fat and acid, soft and crunchy, hot and cool on a single plate.