chilaquiles with eggs and chorizo

Is saving money on groceries one of your resolutions for 2012? If it is, and if you like Tex-Mex food and making wise use of leftovers, then chilaquiles might just be the dish for you. This will definitely become a regular player in the Lonesome Road dinner (or lunch, brunch, or breakfast!) rotation.

Because of the dish's appearance, chilaquiles are also nicknamed "broken old sombreros." Basically, soft corn tortillas are torn up and quickly fried until somewhat chewy (not crispy like chips) and layered with anything from eggs to leftover chicken, chorizo or beans, vegetables, salsa, and cheese. Chilaquiles are versatile in that they can be a total gourmet experience, or they can be a quick and easy way to deliciously use up some leftover ingredients.

For the chilaquiles pictured above, I first browned and drained 1/2 pound of chorizo and set it aside. Next I tore eight soft corn tortillas into quarters and fried them in a bit of corn oil. While frying the tortillas, I created a quick sauce with a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce, 3 teaspoons chili powder, 2 small cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. Unfortunately I didn't have fresh tomatoes or a can of diced tomatoes on hand; either would have made a fantastic fresh salsa for this dish. Salt to taste but be cautious when using chorizo, it is salty enough on its own.

When the tortillas were of the correct chewy consistency, I added five beaten eggs to the skillet with the fried tortillas and cooked over medium-low heat until they were cooked through. I then layered the tortillas and eggs into an 8 inch by 8 inch glass baking dish (while preheating the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit).

Top with crumbled cooked chorizo, sauce, and cheese of choice. I used a bit of Cheddar-Jack plus freshly grated Iberico cheese, just enough to cover the top of the layers - perfect!

Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, uncovered, until sauce is bubbly, about 20 minutes.

I love these served with sliced avocado but anything fresh and seasonal would be wonderful: salsa, lime slices, onion, fresh chopped cilantro, pickled jalapeno slices, tomatoes... imagine the possibilities!

Makes four servings.

fins to the left, fins to the right!

Fast, Fresh and Easy

Grilled Grouper Tacos!

I thought that "fish tacos" were a fast food restaurant invention... fried fish and some kind of mayonnaise-based slaw and ummmmm, "hey, let's put it in a tortilla instead of a sesame seed bun!" But I discovered that they have been around a long time; presumably for thousands of years as fishermen cooked their catch and ate it in a tortilla-like roll. In "recorded history" the fish taco became popular in Mexico in the 1950s; both Ensenada and San Felipe claim to be the home of the finned wonders. Through the years, the fish tacos have evolved from fried fish in a corn tortilla, to all sorts of variations including grilled, which I experimented with in the Lonesome Road Kitchen.

I loosely followed a couple of recipes in cookbooks and online recipe boards, and came up with this recipe, which I think is pretty awesome!

I chose to use Tumaro's Healthy 8" Jalapeno and Cilantro Flour Tortillas (I love the Garden Spinach and Vegetables variety also). The fish I chose was grouper; nice firm whitefish without a "fishy" taste. I simply brushed a bit of olive oil on the grouper fillets, sprinkled with a bit of garlic salt and chili powder. A couple of quick flips on the grill and it was perfectly cooked in about ten minutes. Use one fillet per taco and figure on one or even two tacos per person.

Typically fish tacos are accompanied by a shredded cabbage slaw or lettuce salad. This was the fun part, experimenting with flavors and textures. I started the slaw a couple of hours before grilling the fish (so the flavors would blend well) and began with:

• a little more than two cups of shredded cabbage (cole slaw mix is fine)

and added

• eight cherry tomatoes, seeded and quartered;
• six pickled jalapeno slices, chopped;
• 3 slices red onion, diced;
• one green onion, sliced white and part of the green
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro

The slaw is simply dressed with

• the juice of two limes
• three teaspoons of the jalapeno pickling juice.

Toss with the prepared vegetables; add salt to taste if you wish and chill for a while in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend.

For each taco, you may either chop up the grilled fish slightly and serve loosely, or serve fillets in one piece in a tortilla. Top with the tangy, crunchy slaw . I also like to add chopped avocado. The combination of the hot, smokey-grilled fish and the cold, crisp slaw is irresistible and it makes the perfect quick and healthy summer dinner al fresco with an ice-cold cerveza or of course, a frozen margarita.

lonesome road kitchen challenge #1

Chiles Rellenos

Chiles Rellenos is one of those "benchmark" dishes that I use in judging a favorite Mexican restaurant. So of course, since I love this classic dish so much, I simply had to attempt to prepare it myself. I did, and here are the luscious results!

The name of the dish simply means "stuffed chile pepper" and the filling can be just about anything: cheese, beans, chicken, pork, beef (including the classic, picadillo). The chiles may be battered and fried (or not) and I've had all sorts of delicious sauces on chiles rellenos. For this version, I chose a light Ranchero Sauce whose clear and bright flavors complement and contrast with the gooey goodness of the cheese filling and the rich taste of the poblano chile peppers.

Ingredients for the chiles:

• 4 fresh poblano chiles
• 8 to 10 oz. Monterey Jack or Chihuahua cheese
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup flat beer
• Vegetable oil for frying (corn or safflower work well)

Ingredients for the ranchero sauce:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 bell pepper, seeded and chopped (even better if roasted!)
• 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Prepare the Ranchero Sauce by cooking onion and garlic in oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in the peppers, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, cumin and salt. Simmer over low heat, covered about 20 minutes. Add cilantro and lime juice just before serving; set aside and prepare the chiles.

To prepare the chiles: Roast chiles on a grill or in the oven or over a gas flame until skins are blackened and blistered. See below (these were done on our grill and they smelled fantastic!):

After poblano chiles are suitably blackened, immediately place in a bag to steam. Wait a few minutes, then peel. (Sometimes not all of the skin comes off and that's okay. Do the best you can!)

Cut a "T" shape in the chiles and remove seeds. Place thick slices of cheese in each chile and distribute chopped onion evenly among the 4 chiles.

Prepare the batter for the chiles by combining the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add flat beer and beat batter until smooth. Dip stuffed chiles in the batter and allow a bit of excess batter to drip off.

Heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch cooking oil in a large skillet until oil shimmers and is hot enough for frying. Carefully add the stuffed and battered chiles and fry about 2 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain a bit, then place in a rectangular baking dish. Pour Ranchero Sauce over chiles and place in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until dish is heated through.

Serve with a twist of lime, perhaps a dab of sour cream or a sprinkle of Cotija cheese. This is delicious and beautiful served with saffron rice, as I did in the top photo.

Serves 4.