Tuesday’s Cupful: Background on Chilaquiles

A hot tortilla mix-up

Look for different Chilaquiles recipes throughout Mexico.  The name comes from Nahuatl and means "in a salsa of chiles." The defining ingredient is refried stale or left-over tortillas. (We have seen Rick Bayless use tortilla chips in one recipe on his cooking show.) Mexican families can stretch meals by making Chilaquiles.  We used green enchilada sauce (aka salsa verde) but other renditions call for red enchilada sauce (aka salsa roja) or even mole sauce. We've seen recipes using chicken or beef so it appears there is no "strict" version.  Likewise, select recipes call for cooks to piece together the elements while plating.  This technique preserves the crispy-fried texture of the tortillas.  Other recipes simply call for combining all the ingredients in the pan so that it’s served in a heaping mix of sauce-drenched tortillas.