How To Make CHILAQUILES

One of my favorite things to eat when I'm in Mexico are my sister-in-law's Chilaquiles. She makes them really yummy. I've had good ones and bad ones and when they are good, they are really good...but when they are bad they are bad! Usually we make them when we have a lot of extra corn tortillas left over. After a couple of days they get a little bit tough so they aren't very good for tacos anymore...but they are just right for Chilaquiles! Here's how my sister-in-law, Leticia, makes them:


STEP 1: Cut up the corn tortillas into mediums sized squares:




STEP 2: Put the tortilla squares in a frying pan with hot oil and stir until they get golden brown:

STEP 3: Break open 2 or 3 eggs (depending on how much you are making) and stir them into the chips and let the egg cook. Salt to taste and lower heat while you make the salsa (or even better yet, make the salsa ahead of time.):

STEP 4: Grill as many tomatoes and chiles as you need to make the salsa. Chilaquiles should be moist so don't be shy with the tomatoes. The amount of chiles depends on your own taste:

STEP 5: Put the grilled tomatoes and chiles in a blender with about 1/4 onion and 1 garlic and a little bit of water and blend well. You can also add a chicken boullion cube in the mix for extra flavor, if you like:

STEP 6: Pour the salsa over the tortilla chip and egg mixture. Make sure all the tortilla chips are covered in the salsa so they can soak it in. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes:

STEP 7: Shred cheese and sprinkle over Chilaquiles...Leti uses Oaxaca or Manchego but you could use Mozzarella too. Something mild that melts well. Cover and let simmer for another 5 minutes until cheese melts into the mixture:

STEP 8: Serve and enjoy. It`s even better with sour cream on top!

VARIATIONS: If you have a bigger crowd you can use a bigger pot and make a few layers alternating the chip & egg mixture with cheese (and you can add layers of shredded chicken too if you want) and then pour the salsa over the top, making sure it soaks in through all the layers and coats all the chips well. Then cook as explained above!