Bites of Passage

When I was growing up in Calgary in the 1960s, Sunday was a real family day
around our house, filled with luscious aromas spilling from Mom's
kitchen.  It didn't matter whether spring had sprung and the purple
crocuses alongside the house were poking through the snow, or whether we
gathered on the little brick patio out back, in the heat of summer, by the
barbecue, to unwrap those little packages of foil which held the most
succulent, buttery, crispy edged potatoes I've ever had.  Meals were an
occasion at our house.  The eating was good.

Mom put on a spread.  Dinner tables groaned with her family-famous oven
barbecued spareribs and scalloped corn, or maybe roast beef and Yorkshire
pudding draped with gravy I've yet to duplicate.  Afterwards, apple pie
with cheese.  Apple pies that tasted like heaven.  I still remember coming
into the house from the blustery, snowy reaches of a Calgary winter to the
warm sweet aroma of juicy apples and cinnamon.

Mostly Mom made the ordinary, extraordinary.

Best of all, I think, would be those lazy Sunday afternoons. Mom's favorite
Mariachi music would fill the house, taking her happily back to relaxed beachside
vacations south of the border.  My married big sisters would appear
with many small, noisy children in tow.  Everyone smiled and
laughed.  Everyone came for that sense of family and for Mom's
cooking.  Mom would make us Chilaquiles.  Her version of a recipe passed to
her from a close friend in Mexico. A recipe that had been passed down
generation to generation. A perfect cheese-topped mixture of home-made
tortillas, fried crispy with mild onions, drenched in sauce that somehow
reflected exotic locales and the essence of home in the same bite.  A
legacy.  Today the legacy continues in our own kitchens, where we can never
make Mom's Chilaquiles without cherishing memories of Sunday afternoons in
Calgary long ago. Muchas gracias Mom!

CHILIQUILES
This traditional Mexican recipe is great served in appetizer portions, or
for a main dish, with Spanish rice and salad on the side.

SAUCE:
1 28-oz can tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1/3 cup vinegar
3-6 dried red chiles
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried coriander
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
½ teaspoon cumin
1 onion, finely chopped

TORTILLA LAYER:
24 corn tortillas
¼ cup olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
Salt, pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese

Optional garnishes:
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Fresh Lime Wedges

Put all sauce ingredients in food processor and buzz until
smooth.  Transfer mixture to saucepan, bring to a boil.  Lower heat and let
simmer for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime pour olive oil into large
electric or stovetop skillet; heat to medium-high.  Tear each tortilla into
6 or 8 pieces; continue using all tortillas.  Add tortillas pieces and
chopped Spanish onion to heated oil in skillet.  Cook, stirring
occasionally until onion is soft and golden and tortilla pieces are
starting to brown and crisp; 10-12 minutes. Tortilla pieces should be
crispy. Season with salt and pepper.  Turn skillet down to medium low.  5 -
10 minutes before serving, slowly pour heated sauce over tortilla onion
mixture in skillet.  Top with cheeses and cover until cheeses are melted,
about 5 to 10 minutes.  Serve by scooping portions onto small plates with
spatula.  Chiliquiles are good as is, or serve with guacamole, sour cream,
lime wedges and icy margaritas.

Back to Get Cookin'