Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles

From the first time I ate chilaquiles, I was an instant fan. There are a number of varieties but the one below was taught to me by my wife who was taught by her grandpa and remains to this day the best I have had.

One item to note is that corn tortilla selection is very important.  The prepackaged corn tortillas that do not even require refrigeration are not really suitable for human consumption.  If you have a tortilleria even vaguely close, it will be worth the drive to pick them up.  If you are among the truly lucky and can get them made from scratch then you should forsake all other tortillas as they cannot compare.

The last option which is the topic of another blog post is to make the tortillas from masa at home.  This can be tedious but relatively simple and definitely tastier than the prepackaged varieties.

Ingredients:
Salsa
1 Pint Canned Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Chicken Bouillon
2 Chiles de Arbol (adjust to taste, this is moderately spicy)
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Onion Powder (or fresh onion)
Salt (only a little depending on sodium content of your bouillon)
Black Pepper

Tortillas
Corn Tortillas (12-14)
Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Salt

Topping
Queso Fresco

Mix all ingredients for the salsa in a sauce pan and simmer for at least 20 - 30 minutes (while you are frying tortillas)

I have found 12 tortillas to be the magic number of tortillas as long as you don't snack on too many while cooking them for the amount of salsa this recipe produces.  If I am particularly hungry while cooking, I might throw in an extra one.  A quick cut of the tortillas into 6 way parts prepare them for frying.

Much like croutons were originally served to use up older bread, chilaquiles are typically made with aged tortillas.  The frying refreshes the taste of the tortillas, lends texture, and prevents the sauce from turning the dish into a mush.  The goal is to sear them to a light brown with a little crunch but not to turn them into a corn chip.  Set aside each batch and let them drain on a paper towel to cut down on some of the oil.

Once all the tortillas have been fried and drained, puree all the ingredients for the salsa in a blender.  Return the chips to the frying pan (without fire), pour over the salsa stirring to ensure an even coating of the tortillas.  Crumble queso fresco over top and enjoy.

Corn Tortillas

CORN TORTILLAS

I like a lot of different foods but few things compare to a tortilla fresh off of the comal (skillet). A taco con sal is always a treat. Not all tortilla's are created equal though. I would lump them into three categories.

There are the typical commercial store bought ones that regretfully too many people have tried and not liked, myself included. Based on this first experience I missed out on many years of enjoyment because I have always steered clear of corn tortillas. The commercial tortillas are mummified with preservatives and overdried to ensure maximum shelf life. They taste really similar to cardboard that had a little corn smeared on it a couple of days ago.

At the other extreme are tortillas made from scratch by a pro. These are truly phenomenal. They really are two distinctly separate products. These tend to be hard to come by here simply because the process is a complicated one. If you ever get a chance to try one do so at your own risk because you will never look at corn tortillas the same again (and may lose your appetite for the lesser tortillas).

Finally, there are the tortillas that are made fresh at home from masa. These do not compare to the ones that are made from scratch but they are still a significant improvement over the commercial tortillas. The process is simple and you can have fresh hot tortillas in no time. The recipe below goes over the basics of preparing fresh tortillas from masa.

Equipment:
Tortilla Press
Comal (skillet)
1 Qt Ziploc Bag

Ingredients:
Maseca (or other) brand masa
Water
Salt


Directions:
Pour a suitable quantity of masa into a bowl add water until you have mixed up a tight dough ball with a consistency similar to PlayDoh. Add a pinch of salt. A little practice will make this fairly easy to determine. If it is too dry it is hard to press thin enough. If it is too wet it will get too thin and tend to stick to the plastic and pan more. It will also cause steam bubbles on the tortillas if it is not mixed thoroughly.

Cut the sealable end off of a Ziploc bag and then cut out the sides so you are left with two separate square pieces of plastic that cover the entire surface of your tortilla press. You can then ball up a piece of your mixed masa so that it has about a 1" circumference. You can adjust this as needed. Place 1 piece of plastic on the bottom of the tortilla press. Add your ball and smoosh it slicely so that the top piece of plastic can be draped over it easily. Then press the dough until it is the size of the press.

Remove the tortilla from the plastic and then place on your comal (or flat skillet) at roughly medium heat. Cook the tortilla for 3-4 minutes on each side or until it has very lightly browned in places and most of the moisture is gone from the tortilla.


Place the cooked tortilla in something that will help it retain its heat. I typically add a paper towel to pick up any moisture from the tortillas sweating. Serve as soon as the last tortilla is cooked. They are best warm and decline in quality quickly.

Chiles Rellenos

Chiles Rellenos
Serves 2

Ingredients:

Entrée:
(4) Poblano Peppers
Mozzarella (Whole Milk)
(1) Egg

Sauce:
(1) Medium-Large Red Tomato
Garlic
Powder Onion
Powder Chicken Bouillon

Preparation (Entrée):

Wash peppers and sear in a dry pan over Medium-Low to Medium heat until skin is blistered (not burnt) and pepper has softened just a little. Rotate peppers to ensure all sides are seared.

Take off heat, place in Ziploc bag, and wrap in a kitchen towel for 30 minutes to allow the peppers to sweat. This makes removing the skin much easier.

Remove the outer skin and then slit the pepper to remove the seeds and veins. Doing this under cold water from the faucet can make them easier to handle.



Stuff with Mozzarella cheese or Queso Fresco if you can find it and close the pepper back up. Don’t get carried away with the cheese or it will leak everywhere.

Separate egg yolk from egg white. Whip egg white until it is thickened like a meringue. Pop the yolk and then fold it in with the egg white loosely.

Coat pepper in the egg white mixture and then drop into a pan over Medium heat with a thin layer of oil. The egg mixture browns pretty quickly.



Serve with sauce and rice when nice and brown.



Preparation (Sauce):

Wash and halve tomato. Boil until tender.
Drop tomato in blender. Add onion powder, garlic powder, and chicken bouillon to taste.
Blend
Pour blended sauce back into a pan and simmer for 10 minutes or so to allow it to reduce a little more.Pour over chiles rellenos.
Enjoy!!!