Monday, July 30, 2012

Chilaquiles

Perfect Pairing:  Frozen chipotles in adobo sauce
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If you are not familiar with chilaquiles you should acquaint yourself.  Soon.  Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican dish that is typically served for breakfast or brunch.  It consists of tortilla chips, or totopos, in a green or red salsa.  Often you will see scrambled eggs or roasted chicken thrown in there.  It is known to be a hangover cure.
I first had these at brunch in Cabo with my parents.  It was a revelation.  In all fairness, pretty much everything tastes good with this view. 

Chilaquiles are a favorite of my mom, so I decided to try to make them for Mother’s Day this year.  They are surprisingly easy and really delicious.  Be sure to use the thick cut tortilla corn chips so they don’t get too soggy in the sauce.  If you are in the Chicago area I would suggest El Ranchero chips.  They are perfect for this recipe.  You probably know them as the “green bag”.  No one seems to remember the name but they are available everywhere.
The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is frozen chipotles in adobo sauce.  Chipotles in adobo are a common ingredient in Mexican cooking.  They are super spicy, so a little goes a long way.  Because of this I always seem to have half a can leftover after using them in a recipe.  Rather than throwing these away, transfer them to a freezer safe plastic bag and store in your freezer.  When you need to use them in a recipe you can chip off a bit and toss it in the sauce or defrost on the counter.
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Chilaquiles
Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Ingredients:
·         1 Tb olive oil
·         2 small onions, chopped
·         4 cloves of garlic, chopped
·         3 cans (45 oz) canned whole, peeled tomatoes, drained with ½ cup of juice reserved
·          1 to 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, more to taste
·         ¾ tsp salt
·         14 oz bag of thick tortilla corn chips
·         2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
·         1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
·         Green onions
·         Cilantro
Directions:
Preheat the broiler.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the chopped onions and chopped garlic.  Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until the onions have softened.  Add the drained tomatoes, chipotles in adobo sauce, and salt.  Stir to combine and sauté for an additional 8-10 minutes.  Transfer the tomato mixture to a food processor.  Whir the tomatoes until it is a sauce consistency.  You can thin out the sauce using the reserved tomato juice.
Return the tomato sauce to the pan and add the bag of chips in batches, stirring gently to coat the chips. Pour the chips onto an oven safe platter and top with the shredded chicken and cheese.  Place the platter under the broiler until the cheese is melted. 
Garnish with cilantro and chopped green onions.  Serve immediately.

2 comments:

  1. We recently had these on a trip to Mexico – liked them so much we ate everyday for a week!

    ReplyDelete

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