Pasta radiatori with ayocote negro

A twist on the classic pasta i fagioli (pasta and beans), this Italo-Mexican mash-up may unsettle traditionalists in each camp - until they taste it.

• 2 tortillas, cut into very thin strips

• Sunflower oil for frying the tortillas

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 4 tinned plum tomatoes

• 100-150ml tomato juice reserved from tin

• 3 chipotle-in-adobo tinned chillis plus 1 tbs adobo sauce from tin (if you don’t have a tin, just mix together some smoked paprika, white wine vinegar, hot sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl)

• 250g pound pasta radiatori

• 4-500g cooked Ayocote Morado beans

• 1 litre bean broth (If you have less than this, make up the difference with chicken stock)

• Feta cheese

• 1 small bunch of epazote (in the very likely event that you can’t find this, mix a few chopped herbs - oregano, thyme, mint, coriander - with a little lemon zest)

In a saute pan, fry the tortilla strips in oil until crispy. Allow to drain on paper towels. In a blender, add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, juice, chillies and adobo (or the homemade substitute described above) and blend well. Heat up the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the blender mix and stir well to avoid splattering. Allow to cook and reduce for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in plenty of salted water until done. Drain and reserve the pasta. Add the bean broth to the tomato mixture and stir. Add the beans and cook together for five minutes. Adjust the salt and then add the pasta, stirring well. Cook for about five minutes over medium low heat. Just before serving, add the epazote (or the described alternative) and mix. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with some feta and then add a few tortilla strips.