Chicken, chili, and tortilla millefeuille "Pastel de pobre" or "Torta Azteca" is the name of this Mexican specialty that not only tastes great but also allows you to use just about anything in the fridge. Once again, I learned this Mexican recipe from my old grad school friend Maria del Pilar.
Ingredients
2 onions, finely chopped 400 g
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 yellow or red peppers, cut into 2 cm pieces 200 g
2 tbsp unsalted butter 28 g
2 tbsp canola oil 30 mL
3/4 cup canned tomatoes (diced) 190 g
460 g ground chicken, or ground turkey
1/4 cup cream cheese 35 g
1/2 cup chicken broth 125 mL
2 tsp tomato paste 12 g
1 tsp ground cumin 3 g
1 tsp cayenne pepper 3 g
1 tsp dried oregano 1 g
1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g
pepper to taste [optional]
5 corn tortillas 220 g
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated 40 g
aluminum foil, to cover the plate
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 ° C / 350 ° F.
Bake the garnish
The peppers and the meat are cooked separately and then mixed before assembling the "torta".
Prepare the vegetables: finely chop the onions and garlic; cut the peppers into pieces about 2 cm apart.
Heat half the butter and oil over medium heat in a skillet. Sauté half the onions and garlic, taking care not to burn them. Cook 4-5 min until they become translucent. Add the peppers and cook 4-5 min, then add the diced tomatoes.
Cook over low heat, covered, for about 15 min, until the peppers are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
While the peppers cook, heat the remaining butter and oil over medium-high heat in a separate pan. Add the remaining onions and garlic, and sauté 4-5 min, with stirring, until they become translucent. Add the meat and sear it until it loses its pink color, about 4-5 min, before tossing it with a fork. In fact, to brown the meat properly, it should not be stirred too much, which would cause the juices to come out and "boil" the meat instead of browning it.
When the meat is golden brown, add the cream cheese, broth, tomato paste, spices, and oregano. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, about 5-7 min, until the flavors are combined. Salt and pepper. Combine the two toppings into one.
Assemble and cook the "torta"
Butter a baking dish and place the first tortilla on it. Add some of the fillings, sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and cover with a second tortilla. Flatten this sandwich well. Add the other layers according to the number of tortillas specified in the ingredients. Sprinkle the last tortilla with grated cheddar.
Cover with a lid or with pre-oiled aluminum foil so that it does not stick. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 min. Remove the lid and cook for another 20-25 min. For a golden crust, put the oven on “broil” for the last two minutes.
Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before carving and serving.
