Nomstop with Mel: Chilaquiles
For a while now we’ve been playing around with the idea of a monthly food blog, and if you follow me on social media, or know me personally, know that what gives me joy is food. Cooking it, eating it, feeding it to people, and experiencing it in all new and different ways. So, starting a food blog just seemed kinda natural to us, we had a name, and we had recipes… but the execution. I mean, it had to be perfect, so I’d tuck my baby back in ‘not just yet’. I went back and forth like this for a while until, this morning, when Bree asked why I haven’t started on it yet? I’d been caught, but she gave me the push I’d been avoiding and also the assurance that everyone has to start somewhere, just go for it. So, without further ado, welcome to our new monthly segment, of Nomstop with Mel!
I wanted to start with a recipe that’s near and dear to me, a recipe that has gotten me and Bree through many hangovers, and one that is a Sunday staple of my family, chilaquiles!
Ingredients:
corn tortillas cut into 8 eights
1/4 cup of a neutral oil
2/3 cup salsa verde of choice
1/2 onions, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, diced (optional, you wimp)
cotija cheese (not telling which buy, but the one with green label and a lil’ cow is our favorite)
crema mexicana (again, not telling you, but it’s the same brand)
salt
Heat oil on pan, over medium heat in a large saute pan. Once you see oil is hot, add the tortillas, and work in batches so strips are not too close together. Cook until slightly browned and crispy. Drain tortillas on a plate covered with a paper towel, (this is the time when you want to season immediately with salt, trust me, the salt sticks so much better we they are fresh out out of the oil) now repeat with your remaining tortilla strips.
With the remaining oil in your pan, heat your chopped onion until translucent, about 2 minutes, add in jalapeno and tomato and continue to sautee, occasionally stirring, for an additional two minutes. Now add in your salsa verde of choice, bring it to a simmer, and add in tortilla strips, gently folding the sauce evenly throughout every single beautiful little piece.
Season with salt and serve immediately, because while they may taste just ass good soggy, you want that satisfying crunch as soooooon as you take that first bite. Top with cotija, crema mexicana, and its optional, but not really, a fried egg and avocado slices!
PRO-TIP: If you’re super crudita/o and need a that extra everything to bring your ass back to life, preheat your oven to the broil setting or 450, follow steps 1 and 2 and then transfer chilaquiles to a sheet tray, top with shredded Oaxaca cheese, and place straight to your oven, making sure it’s on the highest rack, until all that cheese has melted, ~3-5 minutes, and finally proceed with step 3. YES, all extra cheese is everything your pounding brain needs and deserves and you my friend get an extra step, and that is to take a bomb ass nap after.
Talk soon, and enjoy!
Mel
