Chilequile

Adapted from The Tao of Cooking, Sally Pasley, Ten Speed Press, 1982.

This adds meat to a vegetarian dish. The problem with the dish as written was that when the tortillas get mushy, as is inevitable, the dish becomes a homogeneous mush, which we called ``Pedro's Stomach.'' It tasted good, but you couldn't really look forward to it. Adding the chicken, and not mashing the beans helps a great deal.

Ingredients

4 or 5 dried ancho chillies
1 1/2 pound boneless chicken
Juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup water
1 14-oz can tomatoes, undrained
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon oregano
4 tablespoons oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar
1 22-oz can pinto beans, drained
1/2 lb grated Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

Wash the chillies in cold water and remove the seeds and veins. Cover the chillies with 1 cup boiling water, and soak for 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the chicken into bite-sized strips, and marinate with the lemon juice, cumin and allspice for 10 minutes. Then heat 2T of the oil in a skillet over high heat, and fry the chicken until done on the outside, perhaps seared a little. This takes 5 minutes or so. Put aside, reserving the grease/juice. Use this to fry the beans over high heat for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, but not mashing the beans. Again, put aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

When the chillies have soaked, combine them with their soaking liquid, tomatoes, onion, garlic and oregano in a blender or food-processor. Puree until smooth. Heat the remaining 2T of oil in a skillet, and add the sauce. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar.

Now, oil a casserole and layer the ingredients in the following order: tomato sauce, chips, tomato sauce, chicken & beans, cheese. Continue to layer until all the ingredients are used, ending with sauce and cheese on the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 20 minutes, just until the cheese is melted and casserole is heated through. Serve garnished with sliced avocado, radishes and red onion rings if desired.

Jim Plank

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