Authentic Chilaquillas Food

MEXICAN CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• For the Red Salsa, place tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic, and onion in a medium size saucepan. Cover with water and cook at medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes and peppers are cooked. Place the cooked ingredients in your blender with 1/2 cup of the cookign water to make a sauce. Season with salt and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and start frying the tortillas until golden and crisp in batches. You might need to do 2 or 3 batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Drain the tortillas on paper towels. Repeat the process with the rest of the tortillas.
• Clean the skillet with a paper towel, turn the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the sauce and let it cook for 5 minutes. Add the Epazote and season the sauce with salt. Carefully stir in the tortillas to avoid breaking them. Add the chicken (if using) and coat it with the salsa. Cook for 2 more minutes.
• Serve garnished with crumbled cheese, cilantro, onion and topped with the cream. Serve with "Refried beans". Avocado is also a good addition to the plate.

AUTHENTIC CHILAQUILES ROJOS (RED CHILAQUILES) RECIPE

Steps:

• In a small or medium saucepan, add two cups of water, chiles, tomatoes, onion & garlic. Over medium-high heat, bring the water to a soft boil, then lower heat to medium-low. Cook for 7 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.
• In a blender, add one cup of the cooking water, the chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic plus all of the spices. Puree for one or two minutes until everything is pureed well.
• Note: Reserve the remaining of the cooking water for now in case the sauce becomes too thick
• Add one tablespoon oil to a saucepan/skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the tomato/chile puree (careful, it will sizzle!). Turn the heat to low, and simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce darkens and thickens a little bit.
• Taste and adjust salt & pepper.
• While the sauce is cooking, fry or bake the tortillas
• In the saucepan where the sauce is cooking, stir in the tortilla chips, and fold until the tortilla is coated with the sauce. Remove from heat.
• Serve immediately so that the tortillas chips don't become too soggy. They will soften up fast!
• Drizzle with crema, sprinkle the cheese, and sliced avocado on the top.

CHILAQUILES WITH ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Special equipment: 4 individual casserole dishes
• To make the salsa:
• Preheat the broiler or oven to 550 degrees F.
• Remove husks from the tomatillos and rinse under warm water to remove the stickiness. Put the chiles, garlic, onion and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Season with a little olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Put on a rack about 1 or 2 inches from the heat, and cook, turning the vegetables once, until softened and slightly charred, about 5 to 7 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and pull off the tops of the chiles. Add all the broiled ingredients to a blender along with the fresh cilantro and puree. Pour in 1/4 cup of chicken broth and blend to combine. Add more broth, if needed, for desired consistency.
• To make the chilaquiles:
• Pour about 1/3 cup vegetable oil into a large saute pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tortillas, working in 2 or 3 batches, and cook until lightly browned and nearly crisp. Drain the tortillas on paper towels and discard the remaining oil. Wipe the pan with a paper towel.
• In the same pan, add the tomatillo salsa and bring to simmer over low heat. Add the tortillas and cook until soft but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide the mixture among 4 individual casserole dishes. Top with the cheese crumbles and onion rings. Drizzle with Mexican crema, sprinkle with some chopped fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
• *Cook's Note: Salsa Verde means "green sauce" and is typically made with tomatillos, green chiles and cilantro. Make your own fresh, or you can also find it canned at most supermarkets.
• Tomatillos are a small green fruit encased in a tissue paper-like husk. They should be used when they are still green, before they are ripe and the husk has turned brown. Before using, remove the husk, rinse and dry the fruit. (They do not need to be seeded.) They are found in most supermarkets
• **Cook's Note: Chilaquiles is a Mexican brunch dish invented to use leftovers. It is made with day old tortillas (cut or torn into chips) and salsa verde. They are cooked together until the tortillas are slightly softened. Chilaquiles are eaten alone or with beans, eggs or shredded chicken.
• ***Cook's Note: Queso fresco is a white, mild, fresh Mexican cheese with the texture of fresh farmer's cheese in the US. Queso fresco can be found in many supermarkets, Latin specialty markets or online. It can be substituted with a mild feta cheese.

CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Gather your ingredients.
• Preheat a stainless 3-quart pot over high heat and a large cast-iron skillet, 10 to 12 inches, over medium-low heat; this will be your serving platter.
• Remove the stems and seeds of your dried chilies and toast in the pot, 2 minutes. Remove, then add oil, onions and jalapeno pepper. Soften onions, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stack and cut the corn tortillas into 8 pieces, halved across, and then cut into 4 equal wide slices. Arrange on parchment lined baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake to deeply golden and fragrant, 10 minutes.
• To onions, add pimenton, oregano and garlic. Stir and add water. Let it absorb, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chilies back to pot with chicken or vegetable stock, tomatoes, honey and cocoa powder if using. Simmer 7 to 8 minutes to plump the peppers. Puree in high powered blender or food processor, and then transfer to large cast-iron skillet. Reserve any extra in an airtight container for enchiladas or more chilaquiles.
• Chop red onion, cilantro and thinly slice radishes with truffle shaver, sharp knife or mandoline. Crumble the cotija or queso fresco. Shred the Pepper Jack cheese.
• Add tortillas to sauce in cast-iron skillet and toss to coat. Top with cheeses and place back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
• Place 2 small nonstick skillets over medium heat (have some lids or foil on hand). Add a pat of butter to each pan, then crack an egg into each pan and cover. Cook until whites are solid and yolks still soft. Remove to a plate and repeat.
• Remove skillet from the oven and top with red onions, cilantro, radishes, pickled peppers and eggs.
• Serve the chilaquiles from the pan.

CHILAQUILES ROJOS (TRADITIONAL MEXICAN BREAKFAST DISH)

Steps:

• Grill the tomatoes, chiles, garlic and onions until they have a slightly blackened skin. Do not burn!
• Bring 6 cups water to a boil with the blackened veggies until they are cooked through and soft inside.
• Pour the veggies with the hot water and a little added cold water into a food processor and process. Don't blend too much, you want the mixture to be chunky.
• In a large pot, heat up the oil until smoking. Then (carefully!) add a small amount of the sauce mixture and let it burn away for 1 minute (this is for a nice smoky flavor). Then slowly add the rest of the mixture and season with salt and some chicken base.
• Add the tomato puree for color, and mix well. Add the shredded chicken and cook until it is heated through. Add the cilantro. Add the chips and serve immediately on 4 plates. Top each plate with some sour cream, sliced onions, queso fresco and a sprig of cilantro.
• Serve with guacamole, refried black beans and pico de gallo on the side.

TRADITIONAL CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Blend tomatillos, onion, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, garlic, mint, and salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer mixture to a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add chicken to tomatillo sauce and continue to simmer until chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes more.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry tortilla strips in batches until crisp and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Layer about half the fried tortillas in a 2-quart baking dish; spread half the tomatillo sauce over tortillas. Mix pepperjack cheese and Monterey Jack cheese in a bowl; sprinkle half over tomatillo sauce. Repeat layers.
• Bake in preheated oven until cheese is golden and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Combine oil and garlic in a large (3-to-4-quart) saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and sizzling, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add tomatoes with their puree (breaking tomatoes up), chipotles and adobo, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; season with salt. Reduce heat and simmer rapidly until lightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add chicken and cook, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro.
• Divide chips among four shallow bowls; top with chicken mixture and sauce. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, sour cream, and feta. Serve.

AUTHENTIC CHILAQUILLAS

Steps:

• In a large frying pan pour 1-1/2 cups of oil. While it is warming up take about 3/4 of the package of tortillas and tear into thin strips. Once the oil is warm place the strips of tortillas in pan and fry until golden brown. Place them on the side on a plate. Repeat until tortillas are gone. Once you are there should only be a few tablespoons of it left in pan, leave it there and place all the fried tortillas back in pan. Add onion, water, salt & hotsauce to pan. Mix well, you want the tortillas to be soft you may need to add more water. Keep let simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionly. Then turn heat to low and tear cheese into small peices and place in pan and cover with lid. Let cheese melt and serve. You could add steak or chicken to the top if you would like.