Chilaquiles Verdes

For some  reason I don't recall eating chilaquiles growing up.  (Pronounced: chee-lah-key-less... not chilli-killies as I have heard them called! lol)  I'm sure I had them. Or maybe I refused them. Either way it's a sad story because they're so stinkn' good! In college we had "Stir-fry Fridays" and every once in a while these were on the menu. Of course they were covered in oil and super-deliciously greasy and tasty.

Funny thing about chilaquiles is that they are a vegetarian meal, but as you may know they have no vegetables, unless you count whatever chiles were processed in the making of the sauce, or the optional salsa topping. Anyway, this is not a healthy recipe nor should you try to make it any healthier because it wouldn't be nearly as delicious. This recipe is for your cheat day. Or in our case as the last hurrah of a cheat weekend. We ate these with beans and salsa. Delicioso!

Chilaquiles Verdes
7 Corn Tortillas
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
5 Eggs, scrambled
1/2 c or so Green Enchilada Sauce - I make Chile Verde in the summer when the New Mexico chiles are in season, but when they aren't I just use a can. We like Las Palmas.
1 c Cheddar, shredded - you could use whatever kind of cheese you want, Pepper Jack would be amazing, I just happened to have cheddar on hand.

First thing is to heat the oil in a large sautee pan or skillet over medium high heat.  Cut the tortillas into triangles. Just use a sharp knife and cut straight through all the tortillas at once.

Drop the tortillas into the pan and toss to coat with oil. I used tongs to turn them all around and make sure everyone was nicely coated. You may want to adjust the oil. The recipe on the can of enchilada sauce I used called for 4 cups of oil! I guess those ones are deep fried! This way the tortillas get crispy but not deep fried by any means and you can use much less oil. Give the tortillas a few minutes on the first side then start flipping them over and moving them around to make sure everyone gets browned and toasty. You can start by checking one or two pieces. You'll notice if they're not browned up yet they'll be limp and then they can tear apart easily so be careful. This is the most tedious part about this recipe but it's totally worth it! Here's what they should look like about halfway done. Starting to brown nicely.

Once the tortillas are crisp pour the eggs over them being sure to cover all the chips. You can turn the pan to move the eggs around so everything comes together. Allow them to cook for a minute, then with a spatula scoop up and turn over a portion at a time to cook the eggs through. Once all the eggs are cooked pour the sauce all over everything. Now listen to the sizzle! Yum! Turn the pan a couple times to allow the sauce to combine with the eggs and chips. Turn the heat off. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and cover.

Let it sit for about 2 minutes or so till the cheese is sufficiently melted and gooey. Serve it up!

This was enough for Josh and Jeremiah and I. Like I said we had refried beans on the side and some salsa on top. You could even put beans on top or underneath and eat it all together. All the measurements here are to taste so feel free to experiment. I have also made this with Carne Adovada, which was Uh-Mazing!