Toasted Tacos with Adobo Beans and Cheese

At Restaurante Bar Fernando, a casual eatery in Nayarit on the west coast of Mexico, we tasted simple bean- and cheese-filled tortillas, folded in half and lightly charred. The tacos are a typical side to pescado zarandeado, seasoned fish slow-cooked on an outdoor grill. The beans were so flavorful that we wanted to re-create the tacos at Milk Street. According to Paola Briseño-González, recipe developer and native of the neighboring Mexican state of Jalisco, azufrado is the regional bean variety used in those tacos, and adobo (a blend of earthy, smoky dried chilies plus aromatics and vinegar) is the flavoring. Azufrado beans are difficult to source in the U.S., so we used widely available pintos. Dried chilies, garlic, cumin, oregano and cider vinegar pureed in a blender, then simmered into the beans, mimic the adobo flavors.