Baked Chilaquiles Rojas 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.

CHILAQUILES ROJOS

Steps:

• If using 12 corn tortillas, divide into 2 stacks; cut each stack into 6 wedges.
• Pour vegetable oil into a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot to come about 4" up sides (about 8 cups). Fit thermometer to sides of pot and heat oil over medium-high until thermometer registers 350°. Working in 2 batches and returning oil to 350° between batches, fry tortilla wedges, stirring and turning constantly with a spider or slotted spoon, until crisp and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and let drain; season immediately with kosher salt. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a large bowl.
• If using 2 cups shredded roast chicken or carnitas, toss with 1 cup Salsa Roja (see recipe) in a small saucepan; place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally until heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Bring 3 cups Salsa Roja (see recipe) to a simmer in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fried tortilla wedges or 8 cups sturdy tortilla chips to skillet and toss to coat. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit until softened, 1-5 minutes, depending on how soft you prefer your chips to be (1 minute for almost totally crunchy chips, 3 minutes for soft chips with a little crunch, and 5 minutes for soft chips with almost no crunch). Season with salt.
• Divide soaked chips among plates; top with chicken or carnitas or 2 cups cooked fresh chorizo or 8 fried large eggs, followed by 1 large ripe avocado, sliced, 4 oz. queso fresco, crumbled, ¼ cup crema mexicana, and some cilantro leaves with tender stems. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over. Cook's note: To make chilaquiles verde, substitute 3 cups tomatillo salsa verde for the salsa roja.

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.

ANNE'S CHICKEN CHILAQUILES ROJAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a large (10x15-inch) casserole dish.
• Combine drained tomatoes and chipotle chiles in adobo in a blender and puree until smooth.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in hot oil until brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add pureed tomato-chile sauce and simmer until mixture starts to thicken. Pour in chicken broth and stir in cumin, oregano, and salt; let simmer until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
• Mix tortilla chips and tomato-chile sauce, folding carefully to cover chips completely. You may have to do this in 2 batches.
• Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with half of the chip/sauce mixture. Sprinkle a layer of Mexican cheese and cotija cheese over top. Add shredded chicken to cover all of the chips and cheese. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with 1/2 of the green onions and 1/2 of the cilantro. Spoon 3/4 of the sour cream evenly over top. Spread with the remaining tortilla mixture then top with remaining Mexican and cotija cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until mixture is bubbly and cheese is melted, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream, green onions, and cilantro.