Chilaquiles

I love this dish and have from the moment I smelled something above everything else that was cooking at Benjamin Espinoza's restaurant on 5th Ave about 10 years ago. It smelled like the best pop corn ever and if you can imagine that smell taking over the whole restuarant - well it was just amazing and the first thought was "I gotta have some of that stuff". The dish was not on the menu and in fact an Aunt had come by to cook this for Benjamin and those that worked with him that day. They could tell how much I wanted to try this and gave both Sue and I a huge helping each and boy was it good. Here's how to fix it: use stale corn tortillas cut into 8ths and if they don't seem stale enough you can put em into a 350 degree oven for a few min. Pour veggie oil into a small deep pan and cook them till they are chewy but not crisp. Add a little of that oil to a large HOT frying pan and add the tortillas, and imediately add a cup or two of salsa. The salsa can be any kind you like but preferably homemade and fried, like salsa verde. I made mine with a few fresh jalapenos, can of tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic all blended together with some cilantro and then fried in a HOT & DEEP pot in a couple of tbs of oil. Just keep the tortillas and sauce moving around in the pan to prevent it popping out and long enough for the tortillas to absorb the sauce. Top with cheese and serve with any thing you like and you can also have some meat to go into the pan on that last step.