Chilaquiles (Tortilla Chips in Green Salsa)

Chilaquiles, pronounced chee-lah-kee-lays, are a popular breakfast or brunch food in Mexico. The basic dish is simple, quick, and consists of tortilla chips sauteed in a herb and chile broth. The recipe varies with the cook's imagination, but here is a basic recipe that uses the green tomatillo sauce I wrote about earlier this week.

I made the salsa on one of the short breaks in weather, when the thermometer dipped below 100 degrees in Chicago. It's been too hot to spend much time over the stove! But on a recent lovely night, I whipped up some chilaquiles, Joe set the table on the balcony and opened a crisp white wine, and we feasted under the stars. A simple dinner is sometimes the most elegant.

I'm going to plug some of my favorite Mexican brands as I walk you through this recipe.

Heat 1 pint of  salsa verde in a large skillet until simmering.

Stir in 6 cups of tortilla chips and stir until covered and slightly softened. We love El Rancho brand; the thick chips hold up well in the chile broth. You can fry tortilla chips from scratch, if you like, using fresh tortillas that have air-dried for a few hours.

Remove to a platter. Top with sour cream, white onion slices, cilantro, and queso fresco, a mild, crumbly farmer cheese. Fud is a good one, but I don't know if it's pronounced like Elmer Fudd or if it is 'Food'. Queso Fresco is so good I break off chunks and eat it while I'm cooking...or in the middle of the night.

I recommend dining al fresco while watching the sun set. In fact, I recommend that no matter what you're eating.But if you're making chilaquiles for breakfast, do yourself a solid and put a couple of poached eggs on top. Delicious for brunch.

Serves 3-4.