This week Sara’s Table takes us to Mexico for a traditional breakfast food that is a great way to use day-old leftover tortillas and is well known in the country as a fantastic hangover cure! Listen as Sara shares Martha Mata’s recipe for Chilaquiles.
Ingredients
8-10 whole Roma tomatoes (or 2 28-ounce can whole tomatoes if not in season)
2-5 whole Serrano chiles (if you want mild, stick with two. If you want spicy go for more)
6 cups of cups chicken stock or water
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
a bunch of epazote* leaves (if you can’t find fresh epazote, use 2 tablespoons dried epazote)
Salt
Day old tortillas fried in oil until golden brown or 1 bag of thick tortilla chips
(Optional Garnish Additions)
Shredded chicken
Eggs over easy/over medium
Queso Fresco or Cojita
Crema or Sour Cream
Finely chopped cilantro leaves
Onion
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil whole tomatoes, ½ onion and Serrano chiles in chicken stock or water until they are soft. Take mixture off heat and let cool.
- In a blender, combine the tomatoes, papers and half of their liquid together until smooth. If too think, add more of the leftover water. It should be the consistency of a loose porridge.
- In a very large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add 1/2 of the onion and cook over moderately high heat until browned around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add half of the epazote and the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the tomato puree and the rest of the epazote and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove from the heat.
- Gently stir the tortilla chips into the sauce, making sure they are well coated. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until the chips are soft and soak up the sauce.
- Add garnishes of choice and serve.
*Epazote: The common Spanish name, epazote comes from Nahuatl (epazōtl) and in that language it means skunk sweat. Its leaf is used as an herb in cooking and in teas and it has a flavor similar to oregano or tarragon. Interestingly enough, it has been known to be a fantastic cure for flatulence.
This recipe was shared by Martha Mata of Cetlalic (Cuernavaca, Mexico).