Green Chilaquiles Food

CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil over medium heat in a cast-iron skillet until it registers 350 degrees F on a candy/frying thermometer. (If you don't have a thermometer, carefully dip the corner of a tortilla wedge into the oil. If it sizzles, you are ready to fry.)
• Carefully drop the tortilla quarters into the hot oil and fry, turning them halfway through with tongs or a spider, until crisp but not yet browned, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the tortilla quarters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; set aside.
• Heat the enchilada sauce in a small pan over medium-high heat until hot. While it is heating, fry the eggs. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Crack the eggs into the skillet and fry until the edges are nice and crispy, a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper.
• While the eggs are frying, assembled your chilaquiles. In a shallow 1-quart dish, arrange half of the fried tortillas in a layer. Sprinkle them with half of the cheese. Pour enough of the hot enchilada sauce over the tortillas and cheese to cover most of the chips. Add the remaining chips to the dish in an even layer. Top with the remaining cheese and more sauce. The amount you add here is up to you. You may end up with some leftover enchilada sauce depending on your preference.
• Top with the fried eggs and salsa of your choice. Enjoy while it's nice and hot.

CHILAQUILES IN GREEN SAUCE

Steps:

• Sauce preparation: Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and boil the jalapenos over high heat for 15 minutes. Add the tomatillos and let them boil for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and add cold water. Set aside to cool down for 15 minutes. Then drain and pour into a blender filled with 2 cups water. Add the garlic and salt and blend for about 3 minutes. Strain.
• In a medium saucepan over low heat, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat for 2 minutes. Then add the blended ingredients, chicken broth and epazote leaves. Then boil for 15 minutes.
• Tortilla preparation: Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan over low heat. Cut the tortillas in 4 equal pieces and lightly fry them until golden. Add the tortillas to the sauce while boiling for 10 minutes. Stir until cooked through.
• Directions to assemble: Place the tortillas on a plate (5 tortillas each plate). Layer each serving with half the sour cream, shredded chicken, queso fresco, onions and avocados. Serve with 2 eggs any style, refried beans and/or steak.

CHILAQUILES VERDES

Steps:

• To make the salsa verde: Put the tomatillos, chile, onion, and garlic in a medium pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are soft and the tomatillos turn pale green, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Carefully transfer the boiled vegetables, along with the cooking water, to a blender. Puree for a few seconds to blend; be sure to hold down the lid with a kitchen towel for safety. Add the 1/2 bay leaf, oregano, thyme, salt, and broth. Continue to puree until smooth. You should have about 1 quart of salsa verde.
• Place a wide pot or pan over medium-high heat and coat with the corn oil. When the oil is hazy, pour in the salsa verde; it will bubble a bit. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover, reduce the heat to very low, and keep warm while you finish the chips.
• Pour the vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or countertop deep fryer to a depth of about 2 inches and heat to 375°F over medium-high heat. Stack the tortillas and fan them with your thumb to separate. Cut the tortillas into 8 wedges like a pie.
• Working in batches, fry the tortilla chips, turning them with a skimmer or slotted spoon so they don't stick together, until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chips to a paper towel-lined baking pan or brown paper bag to drain and cool. (Let the oil return to the proper temperature between batches.)
• To finish the chilaquiles, uncover the salsa verde and raise the heat to medium. Just when it starts to bubble, stir in the beaten eggs. Cook and stir for about 5 seconds, until the egg feathers into the sauce, thickening and binding it. Immediately add the chips, tossing gently until they have absorbed enough sauce to become soft. Take care not to break the chips. Sprinkle the Jack cheese on top and let it melt.
• Divide the chilaquiles among 4 plates. Sprinkle with the queso fresco, chopped onion, and cilantro. Garnish with the crema fresca and serve immediately.

GREEN CHILAQUILES WITH EGGS

Steps:

• Heat broiler. Place tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet and set about 4 inches below broiler. Roast until dark and blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip over and roast on other side until tomatillos are soft and charred in spots and chiles are soft all the way through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Transfer tomatillos and chiles to a blender along with juices on baking sheet. Add cilantro sprigs, then blend to a coarse purée.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a large, wide casserole or saucepan and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a little salt, stir in garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Turn heat to medium-high and add tomatillo purée. Cook, stirring often, until salsa thickens and leaves a canal when you run a wooden spoon down the middle. Add broth, bring to a simmer, and simmer 10 minutes or until salsa coats the back of a spoon.
• Beat eggs in a bowl and season with a little salt. Turn heat to low and stir eggs into salsa. Add chopped cilantro and stir until eggs are set. Mixture should be creamy.
• Stir in tortilla chips, making sure they are completely submerged, and remove from heat. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese and serve at once.

GREEN CHILAQUILES WITH EGGS

Steps:

• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add tortilla wedges and onions; cook 8 to 10 min. until onions are crisp-tender and tortillas are lightly browned, stirring frequently.
• Use back of spoon to make 6 small wells in tortilla mixture; slip 1 cracked egg into each well.
• Mix salsa and broth until blended; drizzle over tortilla mixture, then top with cheese. Cover; cook 10 min. or until egg whites are firm and yolks are cooked to desired doneness.
• Sprinkle with cilantro.

GREEN CHICKEN CHILAQUILES CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Place the breasts in the stock, reduce the heat to moderate, cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool in the stock. When cool, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Strain and reserve the stock for another use.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the fresh tomatillo salsa, heavy cream, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the onion and shredded chicken pieces.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the tortillas just about 5 seconds per side to soften, and then transfer to a large colander to drain.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 4 quart casserole or 6 to 8 individual casseroles (at the restaurant, we use small soup bowls).
• Combine the cheeses in a mixing bowl.
• To assemble the chilaquiles, spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture over the bottom of the baking dish. Push the solids in the bowl of chicken and tomatillo sauce to the side so the liquids form a pool in the bottom. Dip all the softened tortillas in the pool to moisten. Layer one third of the moist tortillas over the cheese and top with half of the chicken mixture with its sauce. Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese over the chicken. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of tortillas on top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake 30 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving or unmolding.
• In blender place tomatillos, jalapenos and water. Puree until just chunky. Add remaining ingredients and puree about 2 minutes more, or until no large chunks remain. This salsa keeps in the refrigerator, in a covered container, about 3 days.
• In large bowl combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky and form a ball when pressed together. To test, flatten a small piece of dough between your palms. If the edges crack, add water to the dough, a tablespoon at a time, until a test piece does not crack.
• Divide the dough into 24 golf ball size pieces for tacos and 12 large balls for quesadillas. Place on a platter and cover with a damp towel. Line a tortilla press with 2 sheets of plastic cut from a plastic freezer bag or other heavy duty plastic bag.
• Heat a dry cast iron skillet, or non-stick pan until moderately hot. Flatten each ball of dough in the tortilla press, then remove the plastic from the top and, holding the tortilla with your fingertips, peel off the bottom sheet. Lay the tortillas one by one on the skillet and cook about 30 to 45 seconds per side, pressing the top of each tortilla with your fingertips to make it puff. Place the hot tortillas on a towel.
• When they are still warm but not hot, stack and wrap in a towel. Serve immediately or let cool, wrap well in plastic or a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator up to a week.

GREEN CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• For the tomatillo salsa: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roast the tomatillos, chiles and garlic on a baking sheet until evenly charred, about 15 minutes. Combine the tomatillos, chiles, garlic, cilantro, cumin and half the onion in a blender and blend. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. With the blender running, slowly add the chicken stock until the salsa has a smooth, sauce-like consistency. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the remaining onions and fry until translucent, approximately 3 minutes. Add the tomatillo salsa to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• For the totopos: Add enough vegetable oil to a deep frying pan to fry the tortilla chips. Heat to at least 350 degrees F. Fry the chips in batches until crispy, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Remove the chips from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain. Alternatively, you can skip this step and purchase your favorite brand of tortilla chips; use two 5-ounce bags for this recipe.
• Add the chips to the salsa and stir well, fully submerging the chips in the sauce. Cover and let soak for at least 3 minutes.
• Prepare the eggs to your liking; we prefer them fried over-easy.
• To assemble: Pour the salsa and chips into a large, deep serving platter. Put the fried eggs on top and sprinkle to taste with queso fresco, cilantro and crema.