MEXICAN NIGHT! SALSA VERDE CHALUPAS WITH RED CABBAGE CURTIDO

Oooh doggy! I've made chalupas.

These quickly fried crispy and bubbly tortillas are topped with all sorts of yummy flavors and textures. After trying these, I've decided that chalupas are a way cooler cousin of tacos, and they are so versatile that they'll fit everyone's tastes.

We had friends over for dinner, and I set out all of the different toppings on the table so that everyone could personalize their own chalupa. During dinner I heard several 'mmmm' and 'I want to eat all of this', so I'm 99% sure these were delicious.

The toppings for the chalupas were:

• Homemade salsa verde (see recipe below)
• Crumbled queso fresco
• Shredded chicken breast
• Cilantro
• Curtido (tangy cabbage slaw, recipe below)
• Avocado
• Lime juice

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For the salsa verde

• Remove the papery husk from about 1 lb. of tomatillos and rinse off the sticky residue with water.
  My tomatillos came from my neighbor's backyard and now I am going to have to grow them myself next year
• Combine the whole tomatillos, one chopped jalapeno, one chopped white onion, and 4-5 cloves of garlic in a medium saucepan and cover the ingredients with water.

• Bring to a boil and simmer for approximately 20 minutes until everything is softened.
• Pour the entire contents of the pan, plus 1t salt and a big handful of cilantro, into the blender.
• Blend on high until the mixture is fully combined and no large chunks or pieces of cilantro remain.
• Return the contents of the blender to the saucepan, add about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, and cook the salsa verde for another 20 minutes, until it is slightly thickened.

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For the Curtido (Cabbage slaw)

• Combine equal parts olive oil, lime juice, and honey in a bowl
• Shred about 1/2 head of red (or green) cabbage thinly and stir it into the dressing.
• Let it sit for at least 10 minutes so that the cabbage and dressing have time to mingle.
  The curtido can be kept in the fridge and it will last at least a few days, so you can enjoy it again!

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To make the chalupas

• Start with flour tortillas.
• Put about 1/4 inch of oil into your skillet
• Over medium-high heat, fry the tortillas one at a time until they begin to bubble (about 1 minute.)
• Use tongs to flip the tortilla and continue to fry for an additional minute or so, until lightly browned and bubbly.
• While the second side is going, use a spoon to spread a bit of salsa verde onto the top side of the tortilla.
• Once the tortilla is lightly browned and bubbly, transfer it onto a pan lined with paper towels. (I put mine in the oven at the lowest setting so that the tortillas would stay warm untl ready to be served.

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For the chicken, I combined the meat from a rotisserie chicken with some red salsa and cumin and sauteed it in some olive oil for a few minutes over medium heat.

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Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please do check out my blog.

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All content and images by @jaymorebeet, taken on September 5, 2017 with a Canon 7D Mark II.