. . . and she cooks, too!

Monday’s Meat and Potatoes is all about the substance of ' . . . and she cooks too!' – and that is the cooking. So in honor of Cinco de Mayo, we bring your our version of:

Nachos con Huevos Revueltos Mexicanos
. . . or you could call them a version of chilaquiles with eggs and tomato sauce.

Considered a countryman’s breakfast or an inexpensive midday snack, this thick stew/casserole of tortilla chips in a tomato and chile sauce is finished with a swirl of whisked eggs, topped with shredded cheese and browned under the broiler.

Chilaquiles represent an inventive way Mexican cooks use leftovers and it the dish has multiple similarities to an American breakfast hash. The basis of the dish is either leftover corn tortilla chips or leftover corn tortillas that have been cut and crisped in oil or the oven. Chilaquiles often include other leftovers like bits of shredded chicken or beef. The sauce can be a red chile sauce, tomato-based or a green/verde sauce based on tomatillos. The sauce can be made ahead and then re-heated with the chips, eggs and cheese. If you don’t want to use oregano, other options include epazote, cilantro or parsley.

“The Aztecs combined leftover tortillas with chiles and herbs to create chilaquiles – which in their Nahuatl language meant just that ‘chiles and herbs in broth.’ Every Mexican cook seems to have their own version of this versatile dish, which can be used for almuerzo (brunch) or cena (supper).” – Mexico, the Beautiful Cookbook

What you’ll need:
Large, nonstick skillet that is oven-safe
Small amount of canola oil or cooking spray
1 medium yellow onion
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
8 oz. can tomato sauce
4 oz. can green chiles
6-8 oz. chicken broth/stock
1-3 tsp. chili powder
1 tbs. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste*
12-16 oz. corn tortilla chips
5 eggs
½ - 1 cup shredded cheese

Finely chop onion and sauté in large non-stick (oven safe) skillet until translucent and softened. Add garlic and sauté until it begins to soften. To create the sauce, add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chiles and chicken broth. Add seasonings to your taste and bring sauce to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Then, add the tortilla chips, stirring and coating them with sauce. It’s best to do this in batches. The chips will cook down like similar to cooking greens.

Once your sauce is full of chips to your liking, whisk the eggs in a separate bowl or small pitcher/measuring cup and then stir into the sauce and chips. You can either fully stir the eggs in and create a bright, thick coral-colored sauce for the chilaquiles or push the chips out to the outer edge of the sauté pan and scramble the eggs in the middle, then incorporate the scrambled eggs throughout the chilaquiles.

Pre-heat your broiler to 400 degrees and place an oven rack about 3-4 inches from the heating element. Cover the chilaquiles with the shredded cheese to your liking and place under the broiler (watching carefully) until the cheese is bubbly and brown.

Serve with sour cream and salsa. Will serve at least 4 ppl.

*Depending on the broth, tomatoes and chips that you use, this dish can become over salted easily. We recommend tasting the sauce before and during simmering and before adding the chips and cheese.

- GE, 5/5/08