Chorizo Chilaquiles Food

CHORIZO CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. Heat a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and cook the tomatillos, 1 jalapeño, the onion, and garlic, shaking the pan occasionally, until tender and slightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Peel the garlic and remove the seeds from the cooked jalapeño, if desired. Transfer all of the ingredients to a food processor and purée until smooth. Roughly chop half the cilantro (including the stems), transfer to the food processor and pulse to combine.
• Wipe out the skillet, add the chorizo and cook over medium heat, breaking up with the back of a spoon, until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and wipe out the skillet.
• Return the tomatillo mixture to the skillet along with the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the chips and gently turn to coat in the sauce. Sprinkle the cheese on top; bake until the cheese is bubbling and melted and the chips are starting to crisp,12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pick the remaining cilantro leaves and transfer to a medium bowl. Very thinly slice the remaining jalapeño and add to the bowl. Add the radishes, avocado, and lime juice and gently toss to combine. Spoon over the finished chilaquiles and top with the crispy chorizo.

RAMONA'S CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef and chorizo with onion and garlic over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, 5-7 minutes, crumble meat; drain. Stir in both cans of tomatoes; bring to a boil. In a greased 1-1/2-qt. or 8-in.-square baking dish, layer 2 cups chips, half of the meat mixture and 1/2 cup cheese; repeat layers., Bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro. If desired, serve with toppings.

CHICKEN CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Cook the chorizo in a skillet over medium heat, stirring to break it into tiny pieces. Place the raw chicken into the skillet with the chorizo; cook and stir the meats together until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes.
• Spread half of the tortilla chips over the bottom of a casserole dish; top the chips with the cooked chorizo and chicken mixture. Sprinkle the corn evenly over the meats and layer the remaining chips over the top. Whisk together the green enchilada sauce and sour cream in a mixing bowl; pour over the top of the casserole. Top the casserole with the shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
• Bake the chilaquiles in the preheated oven until the casserole is bubbly and the chips begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

CHILAQUILES CON CHORIZO

Steps:

• To prepare the sauce, combine tomatillos, chiles, chopped onion, garlic, broth and whipping cream in a medium saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. (In a pinch, I've substituted the whipping cream for equal parts milk and sour cream.) Add cilantro, salt and pepper. Puree in blender. I like mine to have a little bit of texture.
• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut tortillas into sixths. Add 1/2 inch of oil to skillet over medium heat. Fry tortillas until chewy, but not as crispy as you would for chips. Drain on paper towels.
• Create a layer of tortillas in a shallow baking dish. Top with half the sauce, chorizo, onion and cheese. Add remaining sauce. Bake 20-25 minutes until the dish is gooey. Serve piping hot with crema as garnish.

CHORIZO CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Heat veggie oil in a saucepan or skillet with high sides.
• Fry tortilla strips in small batches until crispy but not too brown.
• Let strips dry on a paper towel-covered plate.
• Brown chorizo in a frying pan with the chopped pepper, onion and garlic. When cooked through, let chorizo and veggies drain on another paper towel-covered plate.
• Wipe down the frying pan and use it to scramble eggs (adding a little oil or Pam to the pan). When they're almost set, add the chorizo and veggies back in, and mix in the tortilla strips. Add about a cup of salsa/chili until the tortilla chips become less crispy and more chewy.
• When everything is well mixed, it's ready to be served! I add additional salsa/chili on top and garnish with queso fresco and cilantro.

CHILAQUILES WITH CHORIZO

Steps:

• Remove the chorizo from its casing by splitting 1 end and squeezing out the meat. In a large heavy-bottomed high-sided saute pan, fry the chorizo in the oil until it is grainy but still soft, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to break up the meat and prevent a crust from forming on the bottom of the pan. Set aside and keep hot.
• In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, stir the salsa with a wooden spoon until hot and sputtering. Add half the tortilla chips and stir to coat with the salsa, then cook until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the tortilla chips, stir to coat with the salsa, and cook until beginning to soften, about 3 to 5 additional minutes. There should be a nice mix of very soft and still slightly crunchy chips when the chiliqueles are finished. Remove from the heat and use a slotted spoon or tongs to heap generous portions into each of 4 bowls. While still piping hot, top with the grated Cheddar and Montery Jack cheeses, chorizo, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkling of red onion and cilantro. Serve hot with Guacamole on the side.
• In a medium stock pot, place the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and garlic and cover with 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil over high heat and let cook 5 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a blender and puree until smooth with the cilantro and salt. If the salsa is too thick (it should have the consistency of a very thick soup), add a little of the cooking liquid. Check seasoning and add additional salt, if necessary, and pepper, to taste.
• In a large high-sided saute pan over medium heat, bring the oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the chips in small batches until crisp and lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. (They will continue to darken while resting.) With tongs or a metal frying ladle, transfer the chips to a large bowl lined with paper towels. Season with the salt and paprika while still warm. Repeat with the remaining chips.

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.