“Food is our connection to life and ourselves, we really are what
we eat. The more you learn about food and the effects on our
health the more you realize how we have lost our connection with
nature. By connecting to real whole foods made with traditional
methods not only allows the nurturing of our bodies but the
growth of our soul.”
—Eugenio Villafaña, Executive Chef, Palmaïa
At Palmaïa we believe gifting is an important way to maintain the thread of our shared wisdom, whether a client chooses to perform a tea ceremony for other guests, or the chef helps you learn a new dish.
This is one of Chef Eugenio’s favorite interpretations of a Mexican classic.
Su Casa Chilaquiles
Oven baked crispy tortilla chips soaked in charred tomato salsa with a hint of morita pepper, topped with “de la olla” style beans, pb-sour cream, pb-fresh cheese, avocado, oregano infused pickled red onions, cilantro.
—Serves 4
Ingredients
Tortilla chips
16 5” corn tortillas cut into one inch squares
Vegetable oil in a spray bottle
Charred tomato sauce
2 spoons olive oil
10 ripe plum tomatoes
1 yellow onion
6 garlic cloves, large
3 pieces morita pepper
1 spoon of Chef’s seasoning*
A bunch of fresh cilantro
Vegetable stock* as needed
Add-ons
2 cups “de la olla” beans*
Plant-based sour cream*
Plant-based fresh cheese*
2 ripe avocados
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Prep
Tortilla chips
• Preheat oven at 350°F. Place tortilla squares over baking sheet, spraying vegetable oil making sure all tortillas are coated. Stick it in the oven for 5 minutes, stir constantly for a total of 20 minutes. Let it cool aside.
Charred tomato sauce
• Heat up the grill (if not available, keep your oven on).
• Boil 2 cups of water, remove from heat and add the morita peppers. Set aside.
• Remove stem end sides of the tomatoes, peel onion, peel garlic. Coat all vegetables with olive oil and place over the grill or a baking sheet and stick it the oven, turning them time to time until charred.
• Blend tomatoes, onion, garlic, hydrated morita peppers and cilantro with a spoon of Chef’s seasoning, adding just a fair amount of vegetable stock to allow a proper smooth blending.
• Transfer sauce to a heated pan with a spoon of olive oil and carefully “fry” the sauce, adjust season with sea salt. Let it boil for 3 to 5 minutes to medium heat.
Serving
Place tortilla chips in a heated casserole, once the sauce is ready, add the hot red salsa until the tortillas are fully coated with the sauce.
You can add less sauce if you want them less soupy.
Transfer to a plate or bowl layered with desired amount of “de la olla” beans, pb sour cream, pb-fresh cheese, pickled onions, diced avocados and fresh cilantro sprigs.
!Buen provecho!
Chef Eugenio