The animating idea behind this recipe is to turn long, slender, deep-fried tortilla strips into veritable lasagne noodles, and create a savory, pasilla chile-spiked tomato sauce that would be right at home in an abuela's kitchen in Teotitlan del Valle or one of the other traditional pueblos in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Ingredients:
(For the Lasagne)
20 corn tortillas, sliced lengthwise into long, slender strips
2 cups canola oil, for frying
4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
16 oz. queso ranchero, coarsely crumbled
12 oz. queso fresco, pulled into long strips
(For the Oaxacan Salsa)
8 roma tomatoes
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 inch piece cinnamon
3 black peppercorns
9 chiles pasillas
2 tsp. dried epazote leaf
Juice of 2 limes
To Make:
Begin by heating the oil in a deep, wide saucepan to 375 degrees (about ten minutes on medium-high heat; check the exact temp with a deep-fry thermometer). Working in large batches, add tortilla strips to hot oil and fry until slightly golden brown on each side, about four minutes per batch. Place cooked tortilla strips on a paper-towel lined plate to soak up extra oil. Feel free to add additional oil if it gets used up before all tortillas are fried; just be sure to cook them all at 375 degrees.
Next, make the Salsa Oaxaquena. Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium until it is very warm, and then add the tomatoes and garlic. Turn them over on occasion as the tomatoes and garlic begin to blacken; they should become nicely roasted but not burnt. After about five minutes, remove the garlic, and continue roasting the tomatoes for another five minutes, until they are softened. Remove the tomatoes from the skillet and place them in a large bowl of boiling water (this will continue to blanch the skins so that they almost peel off by themselves). Add the cinnamon piece, peppercorns, and chiles pasillas to the skillet, and roast these ingredients for about four minutes, turning to blacken on all sides. Remove the chiles from the heat and put them in the same bowl of hot water as the tomatoes are in. Put the cinnamon and peppercorns right into the mixing bowl of a large food processor.
When tomatoes have shed their skin (peel off any remaining pieces with your hands), and the chiles are softened, add these to the food processor, plus the epazote and lime juice. When cooled a bit after fifteen minutes, puree this mixture on the high setting, until chunks are all broken up and the mixture is smooth yet dense.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Now, it is time to prepare the lasagne. In a large baking dish that is at least six inches deep, spread one large spoonful of the salsa across the bottom of the dish. Next, make the first layer of fried tortilla strips. Add pieces of the cooked chicken and crumbled queso ranchero, and pour a good amount of sauce over the top. Then, make a second and third layer in the same fashion, until all tortilla strips, chicken, queso ranchero, and sauce is used up. Spread the long strips of queso fresco across the top layer, and place the lasagne on the center rack of the oven. Cook for thirty minutes, uncovered, and then let cool for about ten minutes before serving.
This dish goes well with a side of roasted sweet corn, a mixed greens salad, and horchata to drink (this is a delicious Mexican rice milk whose refreshing creaminess can take the edge off some of the lasagne sauce's heat). Of course, caramel flan or tres leches cake for dessert is a must!
Ingredients:
(For the Lasagne)
20 corn tortillas, sliced lengthwise into long, slender strips
2 cups canola oil, for frying
4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
16 oz. queso ranchero, coarsely crumbled
12 oz. queso fresco, pulled into long strips
(For the Oaxacan Salsa)
8 roma tomatoes
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 inch piece cinnamon
3 black peppercorns
9 chiles pasillas
2 tsp. dried epazote leaf
Juice of 2 limes
To Make:
Begin by heating the oil in a deep, wide saucepan to 375 degrees (about ten minutes on medium-high heat; check the exact temp with a deep-fry thermometer). Working in large batches, add tortilla strips to hot oil and fry until slightly golden brown on each side, about four minutes per batch. Place cooked tortilla strips on a paper-towel lined plate to soak up extra oil. Feel free to add additional oil if it gets used up before all tortillas are fried; just be sure to cook them all at 375 degrees.
Next, make the Salsa Oaxaquena. Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium until it is very warm, and then add the tomatoes and garlic. Turn them over on occasion as the tomatoes and garlic begin to blacken; they should become nicely roasted but not burnt. After about five minutes, remove the garlic, and continue roasting the tomatoes for another five minutes, until they are softened. Remove the tomatoes from the skillet and place them in a large bowl of boiling water (this will continue to blanch the skins so that they almost peel off by themselves). Add the cinnamon piece, peppercorns, and chiles pasillas to the skillet, and roast these ingredients for about four minutes, turning to blacken on all sides. Remove the chiles from the heat and put them in the same bowl of hot water as the tomatoes are in. Put the cinnamon and peppercorns right into the mixing bowl of a large food processor.
When tomatoes have shed their skin (peel off any remaining pieces with your hands), and the chiles are softened, add these to the food processor, plus the epazote and lime juice. When cooled a bit after fifteen minutes, puree this mixture on the high setting, until chunks are all broken up and the mixture is smooth yet dense.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Now, it is time to prepare the lasagne. In a large baking dish that is at least six inches deep, spread one large spoonful of the salsa across the bottom of the dish. Next, make the first layer of fried tortilla strips. Add pieces of the cooked chicken and crumbled queso ranchero, and pour a good amount of sauce over the top. Then, make a second and third layer in the same fashion, until all tortilla strips, chicken, queso ranchero, and sauce is used up. Spread the long strips of queso fresco across the top layer, and place the lasagne on the center rack of the oven. Cook for thirty minutes, uncovered, and then let cool for about ten minutes before serving.
This dish goes well with a side of roasted sweet corn, a mixed greens salad, and horchata to drink (this is a delicious Mexican rice milk whose refreshing creaminess can take the edge off some of the lasagne sauce's heat). Of course, caramel flan or tres leches cake for dessert is a must!
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