ShareThisChilaquiles
Chilaquiles are Mexico's equivalent to spaghetti and red sauce. I could eat them just about any time of the day, but a lazy weekend morning is ideal. I've made this recipe for years, but just recently started making it with Chimayó Chile. It was a revelation and I haven't found a reason to go back to using anything else. The flavor is so robust and it has a heat that keeps on developing as you savor it. Top it with a dollop of sour cream, a snowfall of finely Microplaned cheese, some thinly sliced white onion, another dash of Chimayó Chile and it's pretty near perfect.
Starting with fresh corn tortillas cut and fried until crisp is one tip for making good chilaquiles. They should just soak up the red sauce, rendering them chewy, tender and just a little bit crunchy. I don't recommend subbing tortilla chips as they tend to get pretty soggy. If the tomato is out of season, I usually opt for a can of good quality whole peeled tomatoes. Sometimes I add an egg on top or if I'm not in the tortilla-frying mood, I'll make a deconstructed version (more like a Rancheros version really), heating my tortilla on a dry pan, frying an egg, pouring the sauce on top of both and blanketing it with grated cheese.
Chilaquiles
Serves 4-6
1/4 cup vegetable oil
10 corn tortillas, cut into smaller wedges
1 pound tomatoes (or 2 cups canned & peeled whole tomatoes)
2 cloves garlic, peel left on
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small white onion, 1/4 of which is sliced thin, 3/4 of which is roughly chopped
3/4 cup stock (vegetable or meat)
4 teaspoons Chimayó Chile
Salt, to taste
Parmesan or Cotija cheese, to top
Sour cream, to top
Set a medium, heavy-bottomed pan to medium high heat and add vegetable oil. Once oil is hot, about 2-3 minutes, add some of the tortillas wedges. Fry in batches until golden brown, remove and set on a paper towel to cool.
Turn oven broiler on to high. Arrange whole tomatoes on a cookie sheet and place close to the element so that they char. You may need to give them a turn once so they char evenly. Once complete, pull and set aside to cool. Once cool, slip the skins off and add to the bowl of a blender or food processor.
In a small pan set at medium high heat, and without oil, add the garlic in their peels. Allow the peels to char, turning them once. Remove, cool, slip them from their peels and add them to the tomatoes in the blender.
In that same pan set at medium high heat, add the 2 tablespoons oil and sauté the 3/4 roughly chopped white onion. Once browned, add to the blender bowl with the tomatoes and garlic. Add the stock to the blender bowl and whirl the entire mix until smooth.
In a medium pan set to medium heat, add the dry Chimayó Chile and toast gently, moving it here and there with a wooden spoon, about 2-3 minutes. Take care not to scorch this as it will become bitter. Add your blended tomato mixture and stir the sauce to incorporate. Turn the heat to simmer, salt to taste and allow the sauce to cook for about 8-10 minutes.
Add all of your fried tortillas to the sauce, stir to incorporate, then remove from the heat, topping with a lid for 5 minutes.
Remove lid, spoon chilaquiles onto warm plates and top with a dollop of sour cream, thinly sliced white onions, finely grated cheese and a dash of Chimayó Chile.
