Chilaquiles (Green and Red)

Chilaquiles verdes

Ingredients:
2 pounds of tomatillos, peeled (many recipes call for less, but I seem to find that fewer tomatillos simply don’t make enough sauce to thoroughly cover the tortillas)
3 garlic cloves
3 chiles serranos (more or less to taste, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be)
1 white onion, sliced in quarters
½ white onion, sliced
5-6 sprigs of epazote
1-2 teaspoons of cumin
12 tortillas cut into inch-long triangles
Vegetable oil for frying
Queso fresco for sprinkling on top
Sour cream to taste
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Boil the tomatillos, garlic, chiles serranos, and the onion sliced in quarters in just enough water to cover. When the tomatillos are soft, after about 20 to 30 minutes, transfer the mixture to a blender and add the cumin. Blend thoroughly.
2. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan and add the tomatillo sauce. Once the sauce is bubbling, add the epazote and salt to taste. Turn heat down to medium and let the sauce simmer.
3. Heat around two inches of vegetable oil in a frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling add, depending on the size of the pan, a quarter or half of the tortilla chips. Fry, stirring occasionally to evenly coat the tortillas, until the chips are golden brown and crispy. Remove and pat dry with a paper towel. Repeat until all chips are fried.
4. Arrange the chips on a plate or in a bowl and pour the tomatillo sauce on top. Garnish with onion slices, a sprinkling of queso fresco, and a dollop of sour cream.

Chilaquiles Rojos

Ingredients:
2 ancho chiles (you can use three ancho chiles if you can’t find the mora, which is harder to come by)
1 mora chile
12 tomatoes (preferably Roma)
½ white onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
3 garlic cloves
1-2 teaspoons cumin
12 tortillas sliced into one-inch triangles
Vegetable oil for frying
Queso fresco for sprinkling
Sour cream
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the whole ancho and mora chiles in a pan for five minutes. Remove and soak in hot water until soft. Remove the stems and seeds.
2. Meanwhile, boil the tomatoes, onion, and garlic until tomatoes are soft and peeling. Drain a cup of the cooking water and pour mixture into blender. Add the cup of chicken broth, the chiles and the cumin. Blend thoroughly.
3. Heat one-two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan. Add the red sauce and heat until bubbling.
4. Heat two inches of vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the tortilla chips in batches until brown and crispy, patting each batch dry with a paper towel.
5. Place the tortilla chips in a bowl or on a plate and top with the red sauce. Garnish with queso fresco and sour cream to taste.

Recipes and photo courtesy of Hispanic Kitchen member Sarah Menkedick

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