Shrimp Tostada al la DiablaI will say right off, after tasting this dish, you may think that I am the Devil incarnate. I don't deny it. This dish is not for children or pregnant women. I take no responsibility if you follow the recipe perfectly, and expire as a result.
This will put hair on your chest. If you already have hair, it will curl. If it is already curly, it will fall out. Be advised.
The sauce is based on a recipe by Chef Rick Bayless of the Frontera Restaurant. His dish is called Camarones al la Diabla (Devil's Shrimp). I have adapted his sauce recipe and include the spiced shrimp in the tostada. To tell you the truth, I am scaling back on the heat a bit, because I like the members here and do not want to cause any hospitalizations. This will serve four as a main dish
Guajillo Sauce2 ice colds bottles of Mexican beer, preferably not in clear bottles
6 medium guajillo chile peppers, dried, seeds removed, toasted (I get them in the Hispanic food section at the store)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 medium sweet Mayan onion, sliced, divided (retain one half for later)
1/4 teaspoon FGBP
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh Mexican oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried regular oregano
1-2 tablespoons grapeseed (or other high temp) vegetable oil - do not use EVOO
1 1/3 cups low sodium chick broth (or fish stock {fumet} if you have it one hand)
1/4 cup Chipotle Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
sea salt to taste
MethodClean your chile peppers by removing the stem, slice lengthwise and remove the seeds. When cleaned, in an ungreased skillet, toast your chiles over medium high heat. Flip them once. When toasted, remove them to a bowl of hot water to rehydrate for 30 minutes. Take a break, do the rest of your prepwork. Drink one beer. Steel your nerves for what is to come.
Prepare the tostadas (see below).
After half an hour bring your skillet back to medium high heat
Slice your chiles into pieces as wide as your little finger, discard the water
In a bit of vegetable oil, cook your minced garlic until aromatic, about 1 minute
Put the garlic, chilies, 1/2 of the onion, 1/2 cup of broth, and spices into a blender, and puree (add a bit more broth if necessary)
Add a little more oil to the skillet and add contents of blender
Cook while stirring, reducing to a paste, about 7 minutes
Add remaining broth and reduce to medium-low heat
Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes
Add hot sauce and sugar
Salt to taste
More hot sauce if you are brave and suicidal
Cooking the Shrimp You will need about a pound of U-20 shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined. Previously frozen is ok
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat
Place the shrimp in the hot pan and strir-fry for 1 minute
Add the 1/2 onion sliced and stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes
The shrimp should be pink and firm, the onions partially translucent
Remove the contents to the skillet with the sauce and coat thoroughly.
Preparing the TostadasYour prepwork should be finished before you stir-fry the shrimp.
Ingredients
8 five-inch corn tortillas
1 15 oz can of traditional refried beans, warmed, with a little water to thin
1/2 head iceberg and/or leaf lettuce, finely chopped
2 ripe red tomatoes in wedges
2 ripe pitted and peeled avocado, sliced into wedges
1/2 cup sliced red onion
8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 lime, quartered
red wine vinegar
EVOO
Cilantro leaves
In your hot pan over a little oil, warm and brown brown eight 5" corn tortillas
Toss lettuce, onion, and tomatoes in oil and vinegar (about a 2:1 ratio oil to vinegar, to taste)
Two tortillas to a plate
Top with beans
Sprinkle with some of the cheese
Top with dressed lettuce mixture in equal portions
Garnish with slice avocado
Top with shrimp, in equal portions, removing shrimp from the sauce with a slotted spoon
Place remain sauce in a serving bowl on the table
Garnish with remaining cheese
Have the other ice cold beer nearby - I have seen grown men shrink away in fear of this one
To die for 
(Sorry Jill!)
