Chilaquiles with Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe

Servings: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

for the pickled red onions:
½ cup|118 ml white vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2-3 small chilies
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 lime, juiced

for the chilaquiles:
1 pound|454 grams tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, stemmed, roughly chopped (seeds and all–or seed it, or use less than a whole chile if you're not into super-spicy food, or leave it out if you don't like spice at all)
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
canola oil, for drizzling and frying
kosher salt
¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for serving
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons sour cream
12 corn tortillas, cut into thick strips or wedges
¼ cup drained pickled red onions
¼ cup finely crumbled cotija cheese (or crumbled feta cheese)

Directions

1. Make the pickled onions: In a medium bowl, toss the vinegar, salt, chillies, onion, lime juice, and ½ cup water. Let sit for 1 hour.
2. Make the chilaquiles: Heat oven to 425°F|220°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomatoes, jalapeño, and onion on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetables with 1 tablespoon canola oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Roast, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are softened and browned in spots, about 20 minutes.
3. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender or a food processor and add the cilantro and 3 tablespoons of the lime juice. Purée until smooth. Season the salsa to taste with salt and set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice. Season to taste with salt. Set aside.
5. In a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, warm ½-inch canola oil. Once the oil is nice and hot (it should bubble vigorously if you dip the edge of a tortilla into it), add a large handful of tortilla strips, just enough to form a single layer, and cook, turning each one once, until crispy and golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the chips to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and continue cooking the remaining tortilla chips, adding more oil to the pot as necessary. Season to taste with salt. The chips will crisp as they cool.
6. Once you've crisped all your tortillas, pour off and discard whatever oil remains in the pot (for easy and safe disposal, pour it into a bowl, let it cool, and then pour it into a bottle or jar, seal, and throw it away). Add the reserved salsa to the pot and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, add the tortilla chips, and cook, stirring now and then, until the chips have softened and absorbed some of the salsa, about 5 minutes. At first it will look like a lot of chips and not much salsa, but the tortillas will quickly absorb the sauce and become almost a bit wilted. You want the final chilaquiles to be soft but not soggy.
7. Divide the chilaquiles evenly among four plates and drizzle each portion with one-fourth of the sour cream mixture. Scatter the pickled onions, cotija, and cilantro over the chilaquiles.

Author note: This recipe is courtesy of Julia Turshen's book, Small Victories.

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