GARNISHES ADD FLAIR TO BASE OF CHEESY CHORIZO AND BEANS

Casual meal with lots of accessories can lighten mood

I love an interactive, “build-your-own” meal. When I’ve had a lousy day, the sight of a table brimming with little bowls and lots of choices cheers me up.

It’s a great option when feeding a group, but even when it is just my husband and me, I find we lighten up and, next thing you know, we’re chatting and sharing stories as we pass a little of this or that to each other.

This cheesy chorizo bean skillet can be ready in just under 30 minutes.

I was first inspired to make it by a choriqueso recipe in Danny Mena’s “Made in Mexico” cookbook. I tweaked a bit, finally settling on canned refried beans, because they make the skillet easier to serve. It’s dippable, if you have sturdy chips or flatbreads.

You can use black or pinto beans. I’ve made it with cannellini, too.

The big flavor comes from the pan-fried fresh chorizo (or meatless chorizo). You break it into pieces with a spoon and crisp it in an ovenproof skillet, then drain it well. Wipe out that same skillet and heat up the beans with onion, garlic and chili powders and a bit of cumin.

Add the chorizo back to the skillet of beans, stir, and top with grated mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses. Then just slide that skillet under a broiler until the cheeses bubble and turn brown in spots. Tuck a couple of serving spoons into that hot skillet and serve.

Then, the fun part: the accompaniments. My preference is to spoon the mixture onto warm or charred corn tortillas, but flour ones work as well, as do a sturdy lettuce leaves, such as iceberg. Dress up this dish with avocado slices, pickled jalapeños, salsa or pico de gallo, sour cream, lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

With that first spoonful, you’ll have smiles all around. Dig in.