Chilaquiles con crema and grilled chicken, scrambled eggs, refried beans, queso blanco and avocado.
(pronounced Chee-lah-KEE-less, alternately, I've also heard Chee-lah-KEE-layes)
This is one of my favorite Mexican foods, partly because the base is basically recycled food, partly because a variety of salsa/sauces can give this basic recipe very different tastes and partly because you can have this dish anywhere in mexico, where it is universally loved.
It is a widely spoken idea that chilaquiles are good for helping with hangovers, but if you are forking these down hungover, you'll be missing out on the deliciousness.
People from different regions across mexico will be very particular about the preparation of this dish and so I readily admit that my interpretation is a bit of a generalization, although still true to form.
Makes approx enough to serve 6-8 people (this version became breakfast for 7 with leftovers).
You will need:
~30, 20cm (~8in) corn tortillas.
3 medium chicken breasts, grilled and pulled apart (I cheated and used chicken I had previously grilled and frozen)
800g ( ~30oz) of refried beans (again, cheating here, I used two cans of Trader Joe's refried beans)
Queso Blanco, crumbled, to be spooned on as garnish (I purchased mine from Whole foods market)
3 avacados, sliced
2 cups cilantro, chopped. Alternately you can use epazote (delicious and authentic, but somewhat tough to find easily) but go easy with the epazote as it has a pungent taste.
4 whole eggs, scrambled with 3tbs Crema Mexicana
Crema Mexicana, is a cool, smooth, general topping for many foods. I made this with equal parts heavy cream and sour cream. Alternately this can include buttermilk.
Salsa. This is where regional variation can have a heavy influence. A white sauce can be used in north western mexico, whereas in other areas a salsa verde, spicy or mild red salsa or even mole are thought appropriate. In any case, fresh salsa is best. Epipurists will doubtlessly want to make their own and I invite you to use your salsa of choice (they've probably already scoffed at my hack recipe and will gasp at what I'm about to say next). I've cheated even more here, and used two jars of Trader Joe's Salsa Authentica. I then used the time I saved making salsa to write this Guest-blog!
Preparation
In addition to the preparation (or lack thereof ) suggested above:
Crema Mexicana. Bring the whole cream to room temperature in a saucepan and whisk in the sour cream. When the whole mix is again at room temperature, let cool in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours for a consistency somewhere near room temperature honey. I cheated and quick-cooled mine in the freezer. Yes, heretical but functional.
¡The Chilaquiles!
Here is where the recycling comes in. Ideally, these are stale-ish tortillas you've had lying around for a few days so they've become slightly leathery/crispy. Alternately, if you are making this from fresh tortillas, you can dry them in the oven. Tortillas are cut radially into triangles ~5cm (2in) at the base). Coat a large sauté pan with corn oil and heat on medium to high. When the oil is hot, add the proto-chilaquiles and stir fry gently until they are golden brown and slightly crispy. Lastly, sprinkle on a bit of salt. If you prefer to use alot of oil, be prepared to place the chilaquiles on paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Less oil works fine. Let the chilaquiles cool slightly and combine them in the pan with the salsa, folding over the chilaquiles until they are warm and coated with salsa. Fold in 1.5 cups of cilantro and serve (save the other 1/2 cup of cilantro as garnish).
This is the central part of the dish where the rest of the portions can be combined with it around the plate. Cilantro and queso blanco can be sprinkled and crema drizzled on top of everything.
Enjoy!
¡Thanks! to Teri & Bernt for inspiring me to Guest-blog and, in alphabetical order, as they were equal contributors in preparation and potential victims in the eating, I thank Emily, Marga, Megan, Mollie and Will for allowing me to practice this recipe on them.
