Tortas de Chorizo y Frijoles Negros - Crusty Black Bean - Chorizo Subs

8 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo sausage, casing removed

3-4 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil (divided use)

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans or 31/2 cups home-cooked black (or other) beans with just enough liquid to cover them

Salt

4 telera or bolillo rolls (or one of the substitutes - see note below)

6 ounces (about) Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese like feta or goat cheese, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin and cut into 1/4-inch slices

Bottled hot sauce like Mexican Tamazula, Cholula or Búfalo or about 3/4 cup roasted tomatillo salsa

Set a very large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat and add the chorizo. Cook, breaking up the clumps, until browned and thoroughly cooked, about 8 to 9 minutes.

Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of the oil (depending on how much fat the chorizo has rendered) and the beans. As the beans come to a simmer, mash them to a smooth paste with a bean masher, old-fashioned potato masher or the back of a large cooking spoon. Cook, stirring nearly constantly, until the consistency of very soft mashed potatoes, expect about 10-15 minutes total cooking time. Taste and season with salt if you think necessary. Keep warm over the lowest heat, preferably covered to keep the beans soft and moist.

Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat. Slice the rolls open lengthwise. Use fingers or a spoon to scrape out some of the soft bread in the center of each piece, making a small hollow. Brush the insides with the oil, then lay them cut-side down on the griddle or skillet to crisp to a rich golden brown, about 2 minutes. (You may have to do this in batches if your rolls are large or griddle/skillet small.)

Smear about 1/2 cup of the chorizo-bean mixture over the bottom half each roll. (You'll have about 1 cup of the mixture leftover; cover and refrigerate for a midnight snack.) Top with slices of the cheese and the avocado. Dash on the hot sauce or spoon on the salsa. Set the top of each roll in place and you're ready to serve.

Serves four.

Freewheeling riffs on tortas: Feel free to evolve this recipe as you like. Layer in sliced rotisserie or smoked or grilled chicken. Use leftover roast pork or beef. Choose your favorite cheese (I love goat cheese on a torta). Grill some onions or add a final, full-flavored layer of pungent herbs like cilantro (or Pueblan papalo) or pickled chiles (jalapenos or smoky chipotles). For most Mexican cooks to consider it a torta, you'll need to keep that smear of beans. For me, you'll have to keep the avocado and salsa, too.

Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill, Chicago