Chilaquiles Verdes

We’re starting off the week with a little fun. Chilaquiles Verdes sort of fun. If you’ve never had this traditional Mexican dish, boy are you in for a treat! Happy Monday!!

While we’ve been hanging close to home these past few months, I’ve been trying to expand my everyday cooking repertoire to include foods I’ve seen and wondered about, but for some reason or another, never tasted or made at home. Chilaquiles were at the top of my list. I’d heard people rave about them for years and seen them in cooking mags and on menus but until a couple of weeks ago, i was too much of a fraidy-cat to try them.

And now, as usual, I’m kicking myself for my procrastination because chilaquiles are the new loves of my life! Seriously! What’s not to adore? Fried corn tortillas smothered in zesty salsa—acceptable for brunch or dinner—sign me up!

If you’re short on time, you can use store-bought tortilla chips, but I would urge you to make your own. It’s super easy and so much better tasting! All you do is cut up corn tortillas into little wedges—

And fry them until they’re crispy and golden brown.

I made extras because I knew were not going to be able to resist eating a bunch before I actually put the chilaquiles together!

The homemade salsa is non-negotiable. Guys, this is so, so good! And easy to make too! You can even do it the day before so you’re all ready to go, come chilaquiles time!

You start by charring your tomatillos and jalapeños.

Then those get blended with a handful of parsley and cilantro and cooked down with some onion, garlic and broth until you’ve got yourself an extremely flavorful salsa that’s nice and thick and just right for coating all those lovely chips!

Maybe not the most gorgeous-looking of all dishes, but I guarantee that after one bite, you won’t be thinking about anything except how delicious this all tastes.

Topping the chilaquiles is where you can really get creative. Many people love to fry up an egg or two and top them with that and I can attest to how yummy it is when the yolks coat the crunchy, salsa-smothered chips. Pickled red onions are another winner—here’s how to make them yourself and of course you can never go wrong with sprinkling on cheese. Your imagination is the only limit.

Salsa and chips are such happy food, right?!! Told you it was going to be a fun start to the week!

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Chilaquiles Verdes

Makes 4 servings

You will need a blender or food processor for this.

Prep Time for salsa: 30 minutes: Prep Time for Chips: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Chips

• Canola oil

• 18 corn tortillas (you can use less, we like lots of extra chips in this and I promise none will go to waste),

• Kosher salt

For the Salsa

• 1 ½ pounds tomatillos, husked, rinsed and dried well

• 2 jalapeño peppers

• Handful of fresh parsley or cilantro

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

For the chilaquiles

• Eggs, pickled onions, scallions, crumbled feta or shredded cheddar, sour cream for topping (optional)

The Recipe

1. To make the chips: Stack a bunch of tortillas and cut in half and then into quarters. Cut each quarter into three triangles so you get 12 chips per tortilla. Heat enough oil in a large skillet to generously cover the bottom of the pan. While oil is heating, line a large rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and set aside,

2. Fry the chips in batches, using tongs to flip them over as they start to brown—watch carefully ‘cause they can go from light brown to burned in a blink. Don’t walk away! Transfer cooked chips to the paper-towel lined sheet to drain and sprinkle with a little salt. You can definitely make these earlier in the day or even the day before and keep them in an airtight container so they stay crisp.

2. To make the salsa: Place an oven rack about 4-5 inches away from the broiler and preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the tomatillos and jalapeño peppers on it. Broil the veggies for about 5-6 minutes until you see dark, blackened spots and then turn them over and cook on the other side until the same thing happens—you want the tomatillos to be soft and charred and the the jalapeños to be able to be pierced easily with a fork. Remove from the oven and let them cool a bit.

3. When cool enough to handle, transfer the tomatillos and their juices to a blender. Cut the ends off of the pepper and scoop out the seeds (unless you want the salsa to be very hot, then you can leave the seeds in). Add the peppers to the blender too, along with the fresh parsley or cilantro. Blend to a coarse purée and set aside.

3. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large heavyweight skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring often, until onion is softened but not browned. Add in a pinch of salt and the garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Pour in the tomatillo mixture and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, until the salsa thickens. When you run a spoon down the middle of it and the mixture doesn’t instantly replace the spot, add in the broth and let simmer for about 10 minutes until the salsa coats the back of a spoon. (You can definitely make this earlier in the day or the day before and keep it covered and chilled—if you do, reheat in the skillet until hot)

4. Add the cooked tortilla chips to the salsa in the skillet and turn to coat—let cook for a minute or two—you want them to get slightly softened but not entirely soggy. Remove the pan from the heat and serve as is or topped with fried eggs, pickled onions, salsa, cheese, avocado, sour cream—anything you dream up.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from this one in The NY Times. I tinkered and simplified the salsa and used many more corn tortillas so we’d get plenty of chips!