Jollyrogers' Chilaquiles

An old Southwestern family recipe for tortillas layered with flavorful sauce and cheese -- with a secret ingredient, cocoa!

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 414 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 3 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
• 12 (7 inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 0.25 cup vegetable oil
• 1.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1.5 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 0.5 cup white vinegar, divided
• 0.5 pound chorizo or bulk spicy pork sausage
• 1 (7.75 ounce) can Mexican style hot tomato sauce (such as El Pato Salsa de Chil
• 0.75 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Put chopped onion and sliced olives in separate small bowls and combine each with 1/4 cup of vinegar. Set aside to marinate. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the chorizo, breaking it apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Remove the chorizo from the skillet and set aside.

Step 2

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in the skillet and add the tortilla pieces, cooking and stirring over medium-low heat until just beginning to get crisp and golden at the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and drain the tortillas; pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a saucepan.

Step 3

Heat the saucepan over medium-low heat until hot but not smoking. Add the flour, and cook and stir until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour in the regular and hot tomato sauces, water, browned chorizo, cocoa powder, sugar, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, oregano, and taco seasoning. Simmer the sauce about 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Stir in diced chiles and tortillas. Simmer about 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until tortillas have softened and the mixture is thick.

Step 4

Drain the onion and olives. Spoon a layer of tortilla mixture evenly into a 2 quart baking dish or serving dish, and follow with a layer of about 2 tablespoons marinated onion, then a layer of 2 tablespoons olives, followed by a layer of 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice more. Serve hot.