From Bruce Aidells's "Complete Sausage Book - Recipes from America's Premium Sausage Maker"
Recipe: Chilaquiles de Chorizo (Tortillas and Chorizo Pie)
Tortillas are an essential part of the Mexican and Southwest diet, so they are never thrown away, even when stale. The challenge is finding ways to use up leftover tortillas, and chilaquiles is the usual answer. This substantial and delicious dish is often served with scrambled eggs for breakfast on Sunday morning to use up the last of the weeks's tortillas, but it is good any time for lunch or dinner with salad. Serve chilaquiles with plenty of fresh salsa.
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 to 4 fresh Anaheim or other mild green chile
- 6 to 8 tomatillos, or 1 (16 ounce) can
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch (4 to 6 ounces) fresh cilantro
- 1 or more cups chicken stock
Chorizo
- 1 1/2 pounds Chorizo or fresh southwestern sausage in bulk or removed from casings
- 2 cups finely chopped onions
6 cups shredded jack cheese/ Oaxaca cheese
salt and pepper to taste
12-16 Tostadas
Garnishes
- Avocado slices
- fresh cilantro springs
To make sauce, coarsely puree the olive oil, chiles, tomatillos, onions, garlic and cilantro in a food processor. Combine with 1 cup of chicken stock in a saucepan and simmer 5 minutes. Taste foe salt and pepper, and reserve.
Fry the chorizo in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, breaking up the meat with a fork, for about 5 minutes. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat, add finely chopped onions, and cook another 5 minutes, until the onions are soft.
To assemble the chilaquiles, oil a 3- to 4- quart casserole. Make layers of Tostadas, chorizo, all but 1 cup of the cheese, and sauce. Repeat until all the ingredients are used. Press down with a plate, making sure all the soils are covered with liquid. Otherwise, add more stock. Cover with foil and refrigerate over night so that the tortillas absorb the liquid.
The next day, preheat the oven to 350°. Remove the plate from the chilaquiles and sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake covered, for 45 minutes. Garnish with avocado slices and cilantro spring and serve hot.
