In the first season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Rebecca was not thrilled when her dinner hang with Josh became a group hang with a delicious looking pile of nachos (and a lot of other food). The show employs food very thoughtfully, and in the song "Group Hang," I had a lot to choose from. Not only do the nachos appear in the scene and get a call out, when I saw the scene, I got an instant craving for a delicious pile of nachos with the works. I engineered my perfect combination of homemade layers for my own Oscar watching group hang, and then fantasized about them until they were ready to go. Let's just say, they disappeared before the ceremony started.
Nachos With The Works
inspired by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend season 1, episode 12
makes....a cast iron skillet amount?
chips
- tortillas (1 tortilla should make 6-8 chips, so choose your amount accordingly)
- 1 cup canola oil per 12-15 tortillas
- salt to taste
- cayenne pepper to taste
- chili powder to taste
Dry out tortillas by letting them sit out overnight or putting them in a 350ºF oven for 5 minutes. Cut the tortillas into triangles.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. It's ready when a chip put in the oil bubbles. Fry the chips until golden brown, turning once with tongs. Once the oil is hot, this can happen very quickly. Once the corners of the chip turns golden, flip it and cook for another 30 seconds-1 min.
Place cooked chips on a paper towel-line plate in one layer. If you'll have to start stacking, place paper towels between the layers. Once cool and dried, season with salt, cayenne pepper and chili powder (or whatever seasonings you wish!) and enjoy!
cheese sauce
- 4 oz cheddar cheese
- 4 oz pepper jack cheese
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 12oz can evaporated milk
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
Shred cheese. Toss shredded cheese with cornstarch in a large bowl. Add the cheese, 1 cup evaporated milk and hot sauce to a saucepan. Over low heat, whisk constantly until the whole mixture is melted. Serve immediately or reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments and stirring in between.
recipe slightly adapted from seriouseats.com.
tomatillo salsa
- 1 12oz can tomatillos, drained or 8oz fresh tomatillos, peeled
- 2 medium poblano peppers
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 3/4 cup cilantro (or parsley or nothing if you're averse), chopped
- tbsp water
Seed and chop peppers. Cut tomatillos*. Place tomatillos, poblano peppers, water and cilantro in a blender or food processor and chop until it's a sauce. Add water 1 tbsp at a time until the salsa is the consistency you desire.
*If using fresh tomatillos, peel them and coat in olive oil. Broil to char, about 5 minutes. Let cool, chop and proceed.
recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light.
pickled onions
- 1/2 large red onion
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
Thinly slice onions or use a mandolin. Whisk together vinegar, water, salt and sugar. Add onions to the mixture in a small bowl or mason jar so the onions are packed in. If some of the onions aren't submerged, toss them around a little so they get some of the mixture on them, but they'll reduce and eventually they'll all be submerged. Let sit for 30 minutes or as long as possible.
pickled jalapeños
- 4-5 fresh jalapeños
- 1/2 white or yellow onion
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 1 tsp coriander seeds or 3/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
Slice onions and jalapeños or use a mandolin. Add vinegar, onions, coriander, kosher salt and black peppercorns to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add mixture to sliced jalapeños in a small bowl or mason jar. Let sit for 30 minutes or as long as possible.
recipe from Food Network.
guacamole
- 2 avocados
- 1 small tomato, diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium clove garlic, microplaned
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp chile powder
- pinch cayenne pepper
- pinch garlic powder
Peel, pit and smash avocados. Mix in tomato and onion. Stir in garlic. Add dry spices and stir to combine.
extra toppings
- queso fresco
- 1/2 lime
Place chips on the bottom of a bowl, plate or skillet and add all ingredients on top. Crumble queso fresco and squeeze lime over top. Dig in!
[made while watching The West Wing (season 3).]