Chilaquiles

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Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles are an incredibly comforting, quick and easy Mexican dish whose origins and name are believed to go back to the Aztecs. (In Náhuatl, the Aztec language, the name means “submerged in chile sauce.”) It was — and is — a great way to use up stale tortillas because they soften and absorb the flavor and color of the chiles. For chilaquiles rojos, guajillo chiles are used to add that familiar brick red color, as well as an earthiness that balances out the sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes. Chiles de árbol add heat, but if you don’t have them, you can use one or two chipotles in adobo for heat and a bit of smokiness. Top with shredded rotisserie chicken or roasted vegetables to make a hearty meal.

Rating

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil (about 4 cups)
  • 3medium ripe tomatoes, cored
  • 7medium guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 3dried chiles de árbol, stemmed (and seeded if you like less heat), or 2 chipotles in adobo
  • 2garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/2teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
  • 1/4teaspoon cumin, seeds or ground
  • 1 1/2teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • 16stale corn tortillas, cut into triangles if frying, left whole if baking (see Tip)
  • 4large eggs
  • Sliced red onion, chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, crumbled queso fresco and crema, for serving
Set base servings to enable scaling:

Directions

In a medium, heavy pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour in the oil so that it comes halfway up the sides (reserve about 1/3 cup oil for later). Heat over high until the thermometer registers 350 degrees.

Make the salsa guajillo: Bring 3 cups water, tomatoes, guajillos, chiles de árbol, garlic, oregano, cumin and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Cover and reduce to a gentle boil over medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, until tomatoes and chiles are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil in the saucepan over medium-high and carefully add the tomato-chile purée to the hot oil. The mixture will sputter, but will rapidly settle down. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened slightly and has become a darker brick red color, about 5 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.

Make the totopos, or chips: Line a large heatproof bowl with paper towels. Working in 2 batches, fry tortillas, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden browned and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a prepared bowl and lightly season the totopos with salt.

Heat the remaining oil in a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium high. Crack the eggs into the skillet, leaving space around each one, and cook until the whites are set and the edges are crisp, about 4 minutes. Season with salt; transfer to a plate.

For softer chilaquiles, toss totopos in the warm salsa guajillo and cook on medium-high, tossing to completely coat totopos, until very hot. For crisper chilaquiles, remove paper towels from the bowl, leaving in the totopos. Pour over 3/4 of the warm salsa guajillo and toss until completely coated.

Serve chilaquiles on a plate topped with a fried egg, red onion, cilantro, avocado, queso fresco and crema. If serving crisper chilaquiles, top with remaining salsa guajillo.

Notes

You can also bake the whole tortillas on 2 sheet pans in the upper and lower racks of a 350-degree oven until crisp, 35 to 45 minutes, then break into pieces. Or you can use store-bought tortilla chips; skip Steps 1 and 4 above.

Nutrition

Info
Trans Fat: 2 gramsFat: 232 gramsCalories: 2287Saturated Fat: 17 gramsUnsaturated Fat: 205 gramsSodium: 868 milligramsSugar: 4 gramsFiber: 8 gramsCarbohydrate: 49 gramsProtein: 13 grams

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024430-chilaquiles