Chilaquiles

Shame on you for throwing out all of those stale tortilla chips all of these years. Those chips, some other leftover stuff from the fridge and a little creativity will get you a tasty Mexican style meal. I've made chilaquiles many dozens of times over the years with all kinds of different ingredients (They are a great showcase for dried chiles) and the only hard part is getting the liquid to chips ratio right so the the final consistency is what you like. Recipes for traditional chilaquiles can be found everywhere but this post isn't about the traditional versions. Instead, we are talking about making something delicious out of whatever you may have around. In this case I had some homemade coconut milk and a couple of cups of tomatillo salsa that was dangerously close to ending up in the compost pile and had to be used immediately. Fill a baking dish with your collection of stale chips, mix in and thing else you want (I used cubed cheddar cheese and some leftover chicken but this is a great time to use veggies or anything else you may have) and pour your liquids over the whole mess. Make sure your liquid mixture is very flavorful but be gentle with the salt. Your chips are most likely bland but salty and the liquids need to make up for that by being light on salt but bold in flavor. If your sauce isn't chile based then I would suggest a sprinkle of your favorite chile powder (I used ancho) over the top just before it goes into the oven.



As I mentioned before, the hard part is getting to chip to liquid ratio correct. I like them to come out on to loose side but if you want it to slice neatly I have one little trick for you. Just mix an egg or two into your liquids and you will end up with something that serves up beautifully. Just don't err on the dry side or it can be nearly inedible. Bake the whole mess at 350 degrees for 45 min. to 1 hr. and it will be wonderful.