Mellys Chilaquiles Rojos Food

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 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.

MELLY'S CHILAQUILES ROJOS

Steps:

• 1. In a blender add tomato, jalapeno, onion and garlic. Blend until somewhat smooth.
• 2. Heat lard in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sauce and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Set to simmer.
• 3. Pour in broth and stir. Add chips and cover with sauce. Lat simmer for about 4 minutes. Chips should soften, but not get mushy.
• 4. Heat up chicken. Fry the egg.
• 5. Assembly: Spoon some tortillas, top with Chicken, cheese, sour cream, egg and cilantro. (in that order).

CHILAQUILES ROJOS

Steps:

• To make the sauce: Measure the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and cinnamon into a small bowl. Place the bowl near the stove with the tomato paste and broth.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil until it's it's hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes. Keep an eye on it.
• Once it's ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
• Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and your spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it.
• Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. Whisk in the cilantro and vinegar and season to taste with additional salt, if necessary (I usually add another pinch or two).
• To make the chilaquiles: Add the tortilla chips to the skillet. Using a flexible spatula, gently toss until all of the chips are coated in sauce. It might seem like they never will be, but keep stirring!
• Once coated, remove the skillet from the heat. Test a chip to see if it has softened to your liking (this is really a matter of personal preference-I like my chips lightly tender). If the chips are not sufficiently softened, cover the skillet for 1 to 4 minutes, until you're happy with their texture.
• Sprinkle the chilaquiles generously with crumbled cheese, radish and cilantro leaves. Scoop servings onto individual plates, add a few slices of avocado, a fried egg if desired, and a wedge of lime. The chips will continue softening with time, so chilaquiles are best served promptly (do not re-cover the pan to preserve heat; the chips will get far too soggy).

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.

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.