Chilaquiles with Chorizo Sausage

Chilaquiles is comfort food if there ever was such a thing.  It's a hearty meal that's pantry friendly and perfect for a morning when you're light on cooks but heavy on appetite (and that means anytime you're serving a meal for 30+ men).   The dish below loosely morphs a Rick Bayless recipe with the tasty breakfast rendition served at Flo Restaurant  in West Town.  The result is a soupy, spicy heap of thick tortilla chips loaded with scrambled eggs and chorizo sausage.  No one leaves hungry.

Some cook's tips...  it's critical to use thick and hearty, authentic Mexican tortilla chips (try El Milagros or El Ranchero) as they'll retain their shape and texture when doused with sauce.  A lesser chip will immediately regress to corn flour and leave you with... well, not breakfast.  We have a soft spot for the made-in-Chicago Frontera products, but if you can find a delicious enchilada sauce elsewhere or prefer to make your own, feel free to substitute. (That said, we've done the taste test, and the dish is truly better with the sauce called for below.)  If you do choose Frontera, six jars of the enchilada sauce qualifies for a 10% case discount at Whole Foods which means you'll get your sixth jar free.  You can also special order 3 lbs of loose chorizo from the Whole Foods meat counter and have it made in just a few hours. Be sure to request their occasional  "3lb bulk sausage discount" if it's available that day.  Also consider ordering turkey rather than pork sausage.  You'll get a lighter, but no less tastier, dish that's just right for breakfast.

Finally, chilaquiles falls somewhere in the casserole category and, as such, is not the most sophisticated looking breakfast dish you'll encounter.  It's a home style meal that's more army grub than brunch crowd, so be prepared for a skeptical glance or two at the buffet line.  Then, be prepared for requests for seconds.  Enjoy! 

Chilaquiles with Chorizo Sausage

Serves 36

• 6 jars (96 oz) Frontera Red Chile Enchilada cooking sauce (or any good-quality or homemade enchilada sauce)
• 3 quarts chicken stock
• 48 oz authentic Mexican, thick-cut tortilla chips (Frontera, El Milagros, El Ranchero)*
• 3 cups grated cheese (Queso Anejo, Parmesan or Romano)
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 6 small or 4 medium white onions, diced
• 36 eggs, free-range wherever possible
• 3 lb loose pork or turkey chorizo sausage (we special order this from Whole Foods)
• 1 tub sour cream
• 2 bunches cilantro, trimmed and finely chopped 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Preheat flattop grill to medium-high heat. 

Warm the chicken stock in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Warm the enchilada sauce in a separate sauce pan over medium heat.

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil on the grill top until just shimmering, being careful not to burn.  Saute the onions until translucent and lightly browned.  Add chorizo to the grill top and saute until lightly browned, breaking up into small pieces as you go.  Transfer the sausage mixture to a pre-heated, full-size, extra deep hotel pan and tightly cover.  Set pan aside

Scramble the eggs in a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Warm the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in an extra large saute pan and add eggs to the pan.  Gently scramble until just cooked through, stirring as little as possible to allow large curds to form. 

Transfer eggs to the hotel pan with the sausage mixture.  Add the warm enchilada sauce to the pan and stir gently to combine.  Add the tortilla chips, grated cheese and half the chopped cilantro and gently fold all ingredients together until chips are generously coated, adding chicken stock in small amounts as needed to stretch the sauce.  

Serve chilaquiles immediately, as they become soggy if left to sit. Garnish with the remaining chopped cilantro and sour cream and serve with chilled mango nectar, as orange juice can be too acidic for this dish.