inside out mexican delight!

Oh my God, I love Mexican food. I mean, everyone who knows me knows this. If you don't know it then you don't know me. I could easily cook it every night of the week and never be sad about my meals. This might help you have some small idea of how excited I was to find out about a new Mexican dish, Chilaquiles. My first thought was: Now I can trick Z into eating the same ingredients cooked in a slightly different way much more frequently. Even better, two nights ago I was trying to get a lot of deadline-y stuff done and Z makes them for me. Here is what they looked like.

So I like to think of these things as inside out enchiladas that are fried rather than baked. This is great because I needed a Mexican dish with a medium prep-time. Tacos are fast and awesome. Enchiladas are super-awesome but really slow. Even though I love them I only make them every three months or so because they require such a commitment. I have to realize one night that I want them then maintain that excitement until early the next evening to really make them right. Since you fry and don't bake these, though, you get all of the deliciousness of a homemade sauce without the bake time or the casserole dish and all of the ugggghhhh that comes with those things.

So here's the rundown: first make a Mexican sauce. This one is with a green sauce which you need to try to make sometime. I used to think they were just mild-bland sauces for people who didn’t understand how to love Mexican food but when they are homemade they are incredible. Kinda tart and citrusy and mmmmmmmm. Then make some tortillas. MAKE THEM DON'T BUY THEM. I AM SO SERIOUS RIGHT NOW! I used to hate corn tortillas. Then I realized that they have to either be fresh or fried, but that fried stale corn toritillas are much better than regular tortilla chips fresh or stale.

Then it's simple: put the sauce in a pan, turn up the heat, put the tortillas in the sauce and cook until they've absorbed a bunch of the sauce and there is still a bunch in the pan. Afterwards put your favorite regional-Mexican-food toppings on. Z is a cal-mex fan so we've got red onion, avocado, cilantro, and that awesome crumbly white cheese. When you're done your nose and eyeballs will be pleased and your mouth will stop talking so that it can have more food in it.

I think the main problem with these is really endemic to all or most Mexican cuisine: after you eat them you understand how good Mexican food is and how much you want to make it again even if no one else does.

As far as ratings go a resounding
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

PS. There are also eggs in this picture. You can do whatever you want with that.