Gordon Ramsay’s spicy black beans with feta and avocado is tinned black beans cooked with cumin, cinnamon, chilli and garlic, then roughly mashed. Piled onto crispy tortilla tostadas with crumbled feta, chopped avocado, coriander (cilantro) and lime. Serves 4 in about 25 minutes.
Ramsay describes this as “Mexican street food at its best” in the Ultimate Cookery Course. He says “you don’t need meat to make a tasty dish” and calls the beans great starters or snacks to go with beer. He also shows a faster version in his YouTube video.
Most people either leave the beans whole or blitz them smooth. Ramsay does neither. He mashes three quarters with a fork and leaves the rest intact, which gives you a spreadable base that still has bite.
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Gordon Ramsay’s Spicy Black Beans with Feta and Avocado
Course: Starter, SnackCuisine: Mexican, BritishDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes20
minutes310
kcal30 minutes
Mexican street food from the Ultimate Cookery Course. Spiced black beans mashed and piled onto crispy tostadas with crumbled feta, avocado and lime. Great as a starter or snack with beer.
Ingredients
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 x 400g (15 oz) tins black beans, drained, liquid reserved
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the tostadas (optional):
Vegetable oil, for shallow frying
2-3 tortilla wraps, each cut into 6 wedges
- To serve:
100g (3½ oz) feta cheese, crumbled
1 avocado, peeled, stoned and roughly chopped
Small bunch of coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
Lime wedges
Directions
- Fry the onion: Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until soft.
- Add the spices: Stir in the chilli and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the cumin and cinnamon and cook for a further minute until aromatic.
- Cook the beans: Add the drained black beans and a couple of tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Cover and cook gently for 10 minutes until the beans start to break down.
- Mash: Remove from the heat and mash about three quarters of the beans with a fork, leaving some whole for texture. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more reserved liquid. Season to taste.
- Fry the tostadas: Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan to a depth of 2cm (¾ inch). Fry the tortilla wedges in batches for 1-2 minutes each side until golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
- Assemble: Spread the black bean mixture onto the crispy tostadas. Top with crumbled feta, chopped avocado and coriander (cilantro). Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- Ramsay writes that the beans “make great starters or snacks to go with beer.” Assemble the tostadas just before serving so they stay crispy. If you skip the tostadas, the beans work just as well scooped up with tortilla chips or spooned into tacos.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay add cinnamon to black beans?
It sounds unusual but cinnamon is a classic Mexican spice pairing with cumin and chilli. The warmth rounds out the earthy cumin and takes the edge off the heat. Half a teaspoon is enough to add depth without making the beans taste sweet.
The UCC uses this same cumin-cinnamon combination in the North African eggs recipe on the next page. It is a technique Ramsay reaches for whenever he wants warm spice without adding more heat.
Can you use dried beans instead of tinned?
You can, but they need soaking overnight and about an hour of cooking before you start. Ramsay uses tinned throughout the UCC for speed. Two 400g (15 oz) tins drained give you the same as 250g dried beans once cooked.
The reserved liquid from the tins matters. It thickens the mash and stops the beans drying out. If you use dried beans, save some cooking water for the same purpose.
What can you serve these beans with besides tostadas?
The book says tostadas, but the beans work anywhere you would put refried beans. Spooned into tacos, loaded onto nachos, or scooped with tortilla chips. The prawn tostadas from UHC use the same crispy tortilla base, so both together make a proper sharing board.
For a fuller meal, make a bowl with rice, beans and guacamole. The guacamole adds creaminess that balances the spice.
How do these compare to baked beans?
Completely different. Baked beans are haricot beans in a sweet tomato sauce. These are black beans cooked dry with whole spices and mashed.
The beans and potato cakes from UHC use haricot in the British style, so you can see how far apart the two sit. Black beans have a denser, meatier texture that holds spice better. That is why they are the base of so much Mexican cooking.
Do spicy black beans keep well?
The bean mixture keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge and freezes well for 3 months. Reheat gently with a splash of water if it thickens.
Do not assemble the tostadas ahead because the moisture makes them soggy within minutes. Fry fresh and top just before serving. The sloppy joes follow the same logic: the spiced filling stores well but goes onto the bread at the last second.
