A Taste of El Salvador : Chilaquilas

The kitchen is my mom's domain. She is the master. What makes her so fabulous is that she cooks from her heart. Rarely uses a recipe. One of my favorite meals she makes is Chilaquilas. Now our chilaquilas are not the same as Mexican chilaquilas. Salvadorian chilaquilas are tortillas stuffed with cheese, dipped in an egg batter, pan fried and then nestled into a delicious tomato sauce. They are amazing!!! The longer they sit in that sauce the better they taste. I love eating them the second day. So when I make them I make enough for leftovers.

Chilaquilas are very traditional and very much comfort food. When I want a piece of home, this is one of the dishes I go to. It's simple, yet the flavors are complex. The tomato sauce is the key. Having the right balance of flavors, texture and seasoning are essential. So the recipe amounts are an estimate of what you'll need. Much of my cooking is by instinct, just like my mom, so I do my best to measure what I can so that you get good results. What you're looking for in the sauce is to be able to taste all the flavors, onions, bell pepper, tomatoes and touch of cilantro. It's a beautiful sauce that soaks the pan fried stuffed tortillas. So, tasting as you go is essential.

The technique for the egg batter is important as well. You separate the yolks and the whites. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature, it will help create good stiff egg whites. I beat my eggs with a hand blender, until I get hard peaks. Basically I can turn over the bowl and the egg whites stay in the bowl, nothing falls out. Once the whites are ready I add the yolks and blend completely, the batter will have a slight yellow tint. Then you add a bit of flour and combine.

It's helpful if you have all the elements ready, the egg batter, sauce and stuffed tortillas before you put them all together. It makes life easier and less messy. As a plus this a fabulous meat free dinner,  vegetarians just switch out chicken stock for vegetable stock and you're all set!  

I hope you give them a try and love them as much as I do!!


Buen Provecho!

Flavor Power! Green bell pepper, half onion, roma tomato & garlic. Dice it up.

Add salt n pepper. Saute in oil for 3-5 minutes

Add cooked veggies into blender.

Quarter remaining tomatoes.

Add tomatoes, cilantro, 1/2 cup chicken stock and salt n pepper to taste.

Blended goodness!

Place sauce in a large pot, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. If too thick add more stock.  Season to taste.

Egg Batter Time!  Separate whites & yolks.

Whip until stiff peaks.

So stiff I can turn the bowl and nothing moves!

Add yolks to whites.

Blend.

 Add  about 1 tbsp flour and blend until it looks like this.  Let rest for 5 minutes.

8 oz mozzarella or Monterrey jack, shredded

Add water and mash

If you grab cheese and squeeze and it pours out of your fingers like this you've got the right consistency.

sticky consistency.

Add mashed cheese to half of the tortilla & fold.

Add folded tortilla into batter.

Let the excess drop off.

pan fry until golden brown. 2- 3 minutes.

flip and brown over side, 2-3 minutes.

drain on a paper towel. Look how golden they are!! Time to put in sauce.

Time to eat! Deliciousness!

Oozing Cheese!

Chilaquilas - 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

10-12 corn tortillas
8 oz mozarella or monterey jack, shredded
5 roma tomatoes, 1 diced, 4 quartered 
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 half Onion, diced - any color
1 clove of garlc, grated or minced
 handful of cilantro
1/2-1 cup of chicken stock
3 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 tbsp All purpose flour
2-4 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt n Pepper

Side Note:  The prep for the cheese is optional. If you don't want to add water and mash it together that's okay. I do it for the consistency. It helps the cheese stay with the tortilla when I'm putting it in the batter. You can just add a handful of cheese in the tortilla and fold, just be carefully the cheese will fall out, it will be messy. I've done it both ways and the mashed cheese works best.


Roadmap:

1. Make sauce: Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a medium pan. Add diced bell pepper, onion, tomato and garlic into the pan, season with salt and pepper. Saute until vegetable are soft, 3-5 minutes. Place the cooked veggies into a blender, add the quartered tomatoes, cilantro, salt n pepper to taste and a 1/2 cup of stock. Blend. Check for seasoning. Pour into a large heavy bottom pan, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, if the sauce is too thick add more stock. Turn off heat and let in sit covered, while you make the egg batter and tortillas.

2. Make the egg batter: Separate whites from yolks into a bowl, set aside yolks. With a hand mixer, beat whites until a stiff peak forms. The whites should be stiff enough to turn the bowl over and the whites stick to the bowl, no movement whatsoever. Carefully to do this if you're testing, unready whites will fall right out and make a mess. Once whites are ready, add yolks and blend until combined and batter is a yellow tint. Then add 1 tbsp of flour, blend until combined.  Let batter rest for 5 minutes.

3. Prep the tortillas. Wrap tortillas in paper towel and put in the microwave for 30- 40 seconds. You want them to fold easily without breaking. Take the cheese and add a 1 tbsp of water and mash until the cheese becomes one big mass. Place about 1 tbsp of mashed cheese on half of the tortilla and fold. Make 10-12 tortillas.

4. Turn the heat to the sauce on a low heat, if still too thick add more stock. You don't want soup so don't add too much.

5. Chilaquila Time: Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a medium heavy bottom pan. Add folded tortilla in egg batter, completely covering the tortilla, letting the excess come off. Place battered tortilla in the pan. Cook until brown, 2-3 minutes, flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until completely brown. Drain chilaquilas on a paper towel. Once they are drained add to the tomato sauce and allow them to rest and soak up the sauce. You may need to move them around to make them fit. Let them sit in the sauce for 5 minutes.

5. After 5 minutes, plate with a side of rice. Enjoy!!!