While there are numerous regional variations of this traditional Mexican breakfast or brunch dish, the basic recipe tops quartered, fried corn tortillas with salsa or mole sauce, and crowned with fried eggs.

Pulled chicken can be added; the dish is topped with shredded queso fresco and/or crema, Mexican sour cream. Sliced raw onion, avocado, or other garnish can be added. A side of refried beans typically completes the dish, which you can see in this recipe.

Chef Adrianne Calvo of Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar in Miami sent us her own twist on the recipe. Forget the pulled chicken: She uses beef short ribs.

We’ve broken her recipe into three separate ones since you can use each in combination with other ingredients and dishes.

The history of chilaquiles is below.
 
 
RECIPE #1: SHORT RIB CHILAQUILES

With Queso Fundido & Pickled Red Onion

Prep time is 10 minutes; bake time is 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325F. In a small bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

2. WHISK together the agave, garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in another small bowl. Sprinkle the ribs on both sides with the salt mixture, then place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

3. BAKE the ribs for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Pull out and brush both sides with some of the agave glaze and bake for an additional hour. Remove the foil, brush with the remaining agave glaze, and bake for another 20 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE #2: GREEN CHILE QUESO FUNDIDO*

Ingredients

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*Oaxaca cheese, pronounced wah-HOCK-a, is called the Mexican mozzarella.” It can be purchased in a ball or a braid. Fundido, the Spanish word for molten, refers to melted cheese.

†The quick substitution here are tortilla chips or strips. It’s not authentic, but it works.
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Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 450°F. Combine the jalapeño, onion, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, salt, honey, and oil in a blender and set aside.

2. BAKE the cheese in a small ovenproof dish for 15 minutes or until bubbling.
 
 
RECIPE #3: PICKLED RED ONIONS

You may want to make quadruple the recipe: These pickled onions are a delicious garnish for just about anything.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BRING the ingredients to a boil in a small pot, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5-7 minutes.

[1] Short rib chilaquiles (photo ©Chef Adrianne Calvo).

[2] Raw short ribs (photo © Good Eggs).

[3] Oaxaca cheese (photo © Cheese.com).

[4] Traditional chilaquiles (photo © Avocados From Mexico).

[5] Pickled red onion (photo © Inspired Taste).

[6] Fresh cilantro: the perfect garnish for almost every Mexican dish (photo © Good Eggs).

The name derives from the Nahuatl (Aztec language) word chilaquilitl, meaning herbs (or greens) in chili broth.

A traditional Mexican peasant dish, it provided a way to use stale corn tortillas, a staple food of Central America which are fried as the base of the dish. Chiles, too, were native to the area and readily available.

The simplest form of chilaquiles is simply topped with salsa to soften them somewhat prior to eating: an easy way to fill the stomach. Their cultural significance is as a versatile staple for peasants [source].

As the dish evolved, it incorporated inexpensive ingredients, including leftovers, to make it a main dish: bits of meat, cheese, or eggs.

As with most dishes, there are regional versions: in sauce (green, red, white sauce), in protein (cheese, chicken, pork, shrimp), garnishes (avocado, beans, cheese, onion, radishes), seasonings, and spiciness (epazote, hot chiles), consistency and so on.

Mexico City is known for using a spicy tomato sauce and always tops each serving with an ample sprig of cilantro.

While the dish may be centuries old in Mexico, the first published recipes found in the U.S. are from a cookbook dating to 1898: El Cocinero Español (The Spanish Cook), by Encarnación Pinedo [source].
 
 

[1] Cheeses aging in the Alpine Room. [2] Fontina in a variety of flavorful rubs, $6.99/wedge (photos courtesy Schuman Cheese).

Where do you go looking for real romantics these days? In Wisconsin. Turtle Lake Wisconsin.

Turtle Lake is home to the Schuman family’s largest cheese making facility, which has quietly been importing and manufacturing award-winning cheeses for the past ten years.

Never heard of them? It’s because they’ve primarily focused on supplying wholesale distributors with their superb products for a roster of demanding chefs, food service contractors, private-label markets, hotels, and restaurants around the world.

Now though, they have a new name and some new cheeses that will richly cater to your own discerning taste. Newly named Schuman Cheese (formerly Arthur Schuman, Inc.) has begun to send two of their most intensely researched, developed and tested cheeses to markets where they’re awaiting your shopping cart.

WHAT’S UP AT SCHUMAN CHEESE

Focusing on cheeses people love to cook with and snack on every day, Schuman has created two brand families: Yellow Door Creamery, and Cello for Italian varieties. These unique cheeses are made by hand to European specifications.

Separately, Schuman has formed an exclusive five-year relationship with France’s École nationale d’industrie laitière (ENIL), a series of five regional colleges that operate under the French Ministry of Agriculture and which defines the standards for cheesemaking artisans.

The partnership is devoted to immersing Schuman’s cheesemakers in the same European techniques that make us crave French and Italian cheeses.

Heading up this highly creative, passionate, and scientific effort is Christophe Megevand, who began his career in the French Alps. Having won numerous gold medals in cheese competitions for years, he oversees all of Schuman’s cheese production.

His passion for cheesemaking is with him 24/7, and every six months his hand-picked colleague Julien Rouillaud, who has taught at the ENIL for ten years, have led the Schuman company to an evolving educational partnership with a single mission: enhancing the everyday quality of cheese.

YELLOW DOOR CREAMERY

Yellow Door Creamery’s award-winning Fontina, semi-firm and velvety, has been taken in hand and given a new flavor profile.

Each perfect wheel gets a surface massage of distinctive, aromatic herbs directly from the hands of Schuman’s specially trained staff. They’re then cryovac-ed and aged for up to 50 days so that flavors ripen and fully develop.

These are the three you should look for to make your cheeseboards (and your guests) smile:

 
Soon on the way to join its family is a melodious Bergamot & Hibiscus-rubbed Fontina. It is maturing in the aging room, waiting to reach the same degree of perfection as its relatives.

All are perfect cheeses to accompany cocktails or wine, and are welcome in the refrigerator for snacks. The cheeses are delicious in popular recipes, from stuffed mushrooms and onion soup gratin to frittata and fondue.

New Alpine-Style Cheeses

Starting in May, Yellow Door Creamery’s three new Alpine-style cheeses, long in the making and perfecting, will be introduced to consumers. Christophe, who grew up in the French Alps, is particularly fond of these, even though they are the most difficult ones to make.

The cheeses are “naked cured” (not brined or aged in plastic), so that they are completely moisture-free, and are cultured and aged completely differently from softer cheeses. They are consistently tested and fine-tuned to produce different flavor notes.

The three coming to market indicate the specific mountainous regions from which they originate:

 
The Alpine selections are great cooking cheeses (think raclette and fondue), and are heaven for grilled cheese lovers. They can also easily be grated over cooked dishes just before serving. Dried fruits and nuts are able-bodied partners.

Yellow Door Creamery’s Hand-Rubbed Fontina is available at Costco, Sprouts stores, Sam’s Club, and Kroger supermarkets. The Alpine cheeses will launch in stores this summer.

–Rowann Gilman

RECIPE #1: FIG JAM & HARISSA FONTINA CROSITNI

Prep time is 5 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes.

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation
1. PREHEAT the broiler to high. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil on both sides and arrange on a large baking sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes, just until the baguette is golden-brown and toasty.

2. REMOVE from the oven and immediately top with the cubed cheese. Set aside for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt slightly.

3. PLACE a dollop the jam over the cheese and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

RECIPE #2: FONTINA-STUFFED MUSHROOMS WITH PICO DE GALLO

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 20 minutes.

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
For The Pico de Gallo

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pico de gallo: Toss the ingredients together and set aside.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Remove the stems from the mushrooms; reserve the stems for another use. Lay the mushroom caps top side down on a baking sheet.

[3] Crostini with Harissa Rubbed Fontina and fig jam. [4] Mushrooms stuffed with poblano chile and Habanero And Lime Rubbed Fontina (photos and recipes courtesy Schuman Cheese).

4. TOP with micro cilantro and serve with pico de gallo.
  

These soft, chewy pretzel bites are a version of the jumbo soft pretzels sold by street vendors, and are easier (well, let’s say more elegant) to eat than pulling apart a six-inches-wide pretzel.

Warm from the oven and served with a cold beer: There’s no better way to celebrate the day.

The recipe that follows is from King Arthur Flour. If you want a gluten-free recipe, they’ve also created a recipe for gluten-free pretzel bites.

There are more recipes below.

April is National Pretzel Month, so you can plan to make all of them next year!
 
 
RECIPE: SOFT PRETZEL BITES

Prep time is 20 to 30 minutes, resting time 30 minutes, and baking time is 12 to 15 minutes.

Ingredients For About 6 Dozen Pretzel bites

For The Dough

 
For The Topping

 
Salt Alternatives

Don’t want salt? You can leave it off, or substitute:

 
Plus

________________

*NOTE: Use the greater amount in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is a soft dough.

†DIPPING MUSTARD doesn’t have to be ballpark yellow, even if it’s your standard. Go gourmet with a great mustard from Maille. The company makes 50 different flavors, including seasonal limited editions. For spring, there’s a limited-edition honey mustard collection (photo #5). The mustards can be paired with meats, fresh vegetables, and cheese, mixed into vinaigrettes…and used to dip pretzels, of course!
________________
 
Preparation

You can make the dough by hand or with a bread machine.

1a. MAKE dough by hand: Place all of the dough ingredients into a bowl, and beat until well-combined. Knead the dough, by hand or with a mixer for about 5 minutes, until it’s soft, smooth, and quite slack. Flour the dough, place it in a bag, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

1b: MAKE dough with a bread machine: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of the bread machine, program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Allow the dough to proceed through its kneading cycle (no need to let it rise). Then cancel the machine, flour the dough, and give it a rest in a plastic bag for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting…

2. PREPARE the topping. Combine the boiling water and baking soda, stirring until the soda is totally (or almost totally) dissolved. Set the mixture aside to cool to lukewarm or room temperature.

3. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with vegetable oil spray, or lining it with parchment paper. If you’re not using King Arthur Flour, do both: grease the parchment with vegetable oil spray to make double sure the bites won’t stick.

4. TRANSFER the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into six equal pieces. Roll the six pieces of dough into 12″ to 15″ ropes. Cut each rope crosswise into about 12 pieces.

5. POUR the cooled baking soda solution into a pan large enough to hold the bites. Place the bites into the solution, gently swish them around, and leave them there for a couple of minutes. Transfer them to a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and top with pretzel salt or sea salt; or with pearl sugar or cinnamon sugar, for sweet pretzel bites.

6. BAKE the bites for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and roll them in the melted butter. For cinnamon-sugar pretzels, toss with cinnamon-sugar once you’ve rolled the bites in the butter.

7. PLACE on a rack to cool. In you’re not going to enjoy the bites the same day, store them, well-wrapped, at room temperature. Reheat briefly before serving.
 
 
MORE SOFT PRETZEL RECIPES

 
 
PRETZEL HISTORY

The first pretzels were baked by monks to reward children for learning their prayers, way back in the year 610. The shape represents their arms folded in prayer.

More pretzel history.

[2] Use your favorite mustard: Dijon, grainy mustard, honey mustard, even yellow mustard.

[3] Chill your favorite beer to serve with the warm pretzel bites (photo © Pizzeria Uno).

[4] Did someone say Mother’s Day gift? How about a crock of honey mustard from Maille? (photos #4, #5 and #6 © Maille’s Old Style grainy mustard (photo © Maille).

[5] The limited edition honey mustard set from Maille: Mustard with Acacia Honey and Balsamic Vinegar, Mustard with Acacia Honey and Orange Blossom and Mustard with Acacia Honey and Walnut, are available individually or as a boxed set.

[6] Are you old school? Use old-school grainy mustard, the “original” mustard from the days when mustard seeds were ground by hand.

Sauvignon Blanc (SAW-vin-yawn BLON) is an AOC-classified* French wine that is planted around the world. Its origin is the eastern part of France’s Loire Valley, where it abuts Burgundy.

In France, where wines are known by their region or city, the Loire produces two major appelations: Sancerre after the city in Sancerre on the left bank of the Loire River, and Pouilly-Fumé from the town of Pouilly-sur-Loire, on the opposite bank. Elsewhere in the world, wines are known by their grape varietal names (i.e., sauvignon blanc).

 
> The history of wine.

> Styles of Sauvignon Blanc by region, below.

> The history of Sauvignon Blanc, below.

> The six noble grapes, below.

> Sauvignon Blanc food pairings, below.
 
 
THE DELIGHTS OF SAUVIGNON BLANC

The Sauvignon Blanc grape produces refreshing, dry, white wines with one of two key flavor profiles: grapefruit/citrus or grassy/herbaceous, depending on the terroir†. Both are delicious.

The wine is known for high acidity, light to medium body and medium alcohol. It is most often unoaked.

It is also very affordable, with bottles available from around $10, many in the $12 to $15 range, and the finest of the breed (such as Sancerre’s Ladoucette Comte Lafond) in the $35 to $45 range.

By comparison, Chablis is double the price, with Grüner Veltliner in the middle.

If you like white wines such as Chablis and Grüner Veltliner, you’ll likely be a fan of Sauvignon Blanc.

Its acid backbone complements everything from plateaux de fruits de mer (raw seafood platters) and grilled chicken and fish to buttery sauces and rich cheeses; although the AOC cheese of the Loire, chèvre (goat cheese), is its most popular pairing.

We go deep into food pairings at the end of this article. First, it’s important to understand the styles of Sauvignon Blanc.

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*AOC, an abbreviation of appellation d’origine contrôlée, is a legal designation that places rigid standards on how and where a French product can be produced. This ensures consistent quality and preserves its reputation.

†Pronounced tuhr-WAH, terroir is the French expression for sense of place, the unique environment in which something grows—its specific soil composition and microclimate. Microclimate includes temperature, amount of sunshine and rain. The flavor nuances of agricultural products, from grapes to olives to milk to cacao, is a function of its terroir.
________________
 
 
STYLES OF SAUVIGNON BLANC BY REGION

We start off with the tip to have a tasting get-together. If your group shares in the work, you can assign everyone a Sauvignon Blanc from a different region, and a food that goes with it.

The grape is relatively easy to grow, and thus is grown in more than 10 countries, from Canada to Italy to New Zealand to South Africa—even in Romania, Moldova.

With so many different terroirs and national preferences, you can find Sauvignon Blanc in a wide range of styles and flavors.

Sauvignon blanc delivers minerality and very high acidity. From there:

 
The best regions for Sauvignon Blanc beyond the Loire Valley are California and Chile—but don’t let that stop you from trying examples from everywhere.

Many thanks to Wine Folly for making these invaluable distinctions:

> Australia’s Sauvignon Blanc Wines

Australia overall is a hot climate region, but there are cooler climate areas within Australia (Adelaide Hills, South Australia) suitable for growing good Sauvignon Blanc.

These terroirs generate flavors of kiwi, honeydew, and white peach with medium-high acidity and light body.

Wines from Western Australia (including Margaret River) have both vegetal and fruity flavors. Nuances of bell pepper and chervil mingle with passionfruit and minerality. The wines have high acidity and light body. Some high-end producers use oak for creaminess and texture.

> Chile’s Sauvignon Blanc Wines

Most exported Sauvignon Blancs come from Chile’s Central Valley. The terroir generates flavors of grass, lime juice, green banana and pineapple, and, unique to the area, a bit of salinity.

> France’s Sauvignon Blanc Wines

France is the world’s largest grower of Sauvignon Blanc. In the cooler climate of the Loire Valley, the wines yield flavors of cut-grass, nettles, elderflower, blackcurrant leaf and gooseberries combine with flinty minerality.

These are the classic flavors of Sauvignon Blanc. But you may prefer flavors from other regions.

Further south in Bordeaux, the terroir generates flavors of lemon pith, grass and gravelly minerals with high acidity and a simple light body. The high-end wines are often aged in oak, and develop other fruit flavors (gooseberry, kiwi, lemon curd, lemongrass, honeyed grapefruit) with a subtle nutty-creamy texture from the oak.

> Italy’s Sauvignon Blanc Wines

The majority of Sauvignon Blanc in Italy is produced in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in the northeast bordering Austria. It is usually labeled as Sauvignon, as opposed to Sauvignon Blanc.

The primary flavors are fruity: gooseberry, orange blossom, pear and white peach. The acidity is very high and the body is light. High acidity and light body characterize more stringent wines, making this our least favorite country for Sauvignon Blanc.

> New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc Wines

New Zealand is a cool climate country and Sauvignon Blanc is the country’s most planted grape. It is grown in the northern part of the South Island, in the Marlborough region.

It is here that the wine is made in the most assertive style anywhere. Dpending on ripeness levels it can be more vegetal (e.g. green pepper) or smack of tropical fruit (grapefruit, guava, mango, passionfruit).

> South Africa’s Sauvignon Blanc Wines

The warm, warm climate of South Africa produces high-quality Sauvignon Blanc, mostly in the Western Cape region.

Most are not aged in stainless steel, but there are several smaller, more distinct areas that are known for producing barrel-fermented and aged (i.e., oaked) wines. Look for wines from Elgin, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch for these powerful oaked wines.

Most Sauvignon Blancs from the Western Cape have a light-medium body and acidity. Flavors include green herbs, green bell pepper and guava. High-end wines may show you jasmine, honeysuckle, Meyer lemon and nuttiness.

> Spain’s Sauvignon Blanc Wines

The majority of Spanish Sauvignon Blanc comprises value-driven bulk winegrows in the south, in La Mancha. However, there are a few quality producers elsewhere.

Look for wines from Castilla y Leon: medium-high acidity and medium-light body, with dusty minerality and flavors of bell pepper and honeydew melon.

Rueda produces high quality Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo wines. The Verdejo grape produces wine with that tastes very similar to Sauvignon Blanc.

[1] A Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in California (photo © Ghielmetti Vineyard).

[2] Sauvignon Blanc grapes on the vine (photo © Italian Recipes [website no longer active]).

[3] In the glass, crisp and refreshing (photo © Betches).

[4] Our favorite: Ladoucette Comte Lafon, from Sancerre in the Loire Valley. (photo © Domaine Ladoucette).

[5] The only Sauvignon Blanc-based white Burgundy, Saint Bris AOC (photo © Domaine Grivot-Goissot).

[6] Massey Ferguson is a manufacturer of agricultural equipment, including tractor used in vineyards. The slang word for the tractor in New Zealand is “dacta.” Yes, the vineyard is named after its tractor! It’s a favorite of one of our wine consultants, Mary Taylor, and it’s around $15 (photo © Massanois).

[7] Another Mary Taylor favorite: this Sauvignon Blanc-based Bordeaux Blanc from Jean Marc Barthez (photo © Jean Marc Barthez).

Numerous wine-growing regions in the U.S. grown Sauvignon Blanc; but the best wines come from the North Coast region of California (Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma) and the Columbia Valley of Washington State.

The California wines have medium acidity and body. In Napa, you’ll find flavors of grapefruit, honeydew and white peach. In Sonoma, the wines deliver light-medium body and medium-high acidity, with notes of green apple, honeydew and pineapple.

Head north to Washington for light body, high-acidity wines with flavors of lime, grapefruit, and gravelly minerals.
 
 
SAUVIGNON BLANC: A NOBLE GRAPE

What makes a grape noble?

The term is used to describe the grapes that are grown internationally, yet retain their fundamental characteristics regardless of growing region and the local terroir. The French term is cépage noble” (SAY-paj NOBL).

There are six noble grapes (all grown in France), with an argument for a seventh. They are:

[9] Plateau de mer at The Smith Restaurant (photo © The Smith Restaurant | NYC).

[10] Serve it with salmon or any fish (photo © Preserved Cherries [website gone]).

[11] With any and all goat cheeses (photo © Bella Sun Luci).

[12] Add a splash to homemade citrus sorbet, or stir some into a softened pint and refreeze (photo © Elke Florida | Bigstock Photo).

THE HISTORY OF SAUVIGNON BLANC
 
The vineyards of the Loire Valley date back to the Roman era, where the grapes that grew wild were first cultivated.

Sauvignon Blanc is likely a mutation of that wild grape cultivated by the Romans. “Sauvignon” derives from the French word sauvage, wild; blanc is white.

With the collapse of the Roman Empire until the 12th century, monasteries became the main keepers of viticulture and winemaking; sacramental wine (vinum theologium) was essential to celebrate the mass.

Monks had the resources, education and time necessary to improve their viticultural skills. slowly over time. Throughout the Middle Ages, monasteries owned the best vineyards. Their wine was superior to others, and they also produced large quantities for sale, to support their orders [source].

In the Loire Valley, Sauvignon Blanc vineyards (and other grapes still grown there today) were maintained and enhanced by Benedictine monks.

Red wine lovers will be interested to know that the white Sauvignon Blanc grape is one of the parents of the red Cabernet Sauvignon grape. The other parent is the the red Cabernet Franc grape.
 
 
SAUVIGNON BLANC FOOD PAIRINGS

There are more food pairings below, that address favorite foods beyond the Loire.

For Dessert

While you likely don’t want to have dessert with a dry wine, the region offers sweet, Chenin Blanc-based wines to end a Loire-focused feast. Look for:

 
There are other sweet wines made in the Loire, but this is an excellent starter list. Two noteworthy desserts:

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‡Both moelleux (moy-YOO), doux, liquoreux (lih-coe-ROO) are general French terms for sweet wines. The translation of moelleux is sweet, soft, tender, smooth, mellow. A wine labeled doux in sweeter still. A liquoreux designation indicates the richest, most luscious sweet wines. Labels of sélection de grains nobles (selection of noble berries, abbreviated as SGN) indicates that the grapes were affected by noble rot (botrytis). These are the sweetest and richest wines, with the most concentrated flavors (and greatest cost).

Because Sauvignon Blanc is tart and tangy, it is the best wine to serve with salad, including Caesar salad topped with chicken or salmon. Its acidity complements the vinegar in a vinaigrette.

Other classic food pairings are:

 
In addition to being drunk as is, Sauvignon Blanc is also popular in spritzers and white sangria.