Nachos, Our Way. Your Way. Any Way.

Like omelets and pizza, nachos should be considered culinary tabula rasa. What doesn't go with toasted tortilla chips and melted cheese? July and August dictate lighter variations as above. Cafe Drake HRV just dusted 1/2 bag of organic corn tortilla chips with grated dry jack cheese and then ran under the broiler for a couple of minutes to melt. This summer entree was then decorated with a fresh tomatillo and arbol chile salsa; a pico de gallo made from garden zucchini, tomatoes, cilantro, red onions and serrano chilies; ancho chile powder and sour cream. The recipe for the salsa is below.

(above photo: roasted garlic cloves)

To make Tomatillo and Chile Arbol Salsa begin by placing 15 dried arbol chilies in 1 cup of very hot water. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes while you peel about 12 tomatilloes of their papery husks and broil for about 5 minutes along with 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled. This is easiest if you place all the vegetables on a lightly oiled baking pan. You'll need to shake the pan a couple of times - we're going for black, blistered spots on both tomatilloes and garlic but not badly burned. Remove tomatilloes and garlic from pan, slide garlic out of skins and place in a blender along with soaked and drained chilies. Process until smooth or only slightly chunky. Transfer to a bowl and season with black pepper and 1 t. of salt. A pinch or two of sugar can be added if the salsa is too sour for personal tastes. Excellent with all roasted, broiled or grilled meats, poultry and fish. Also, a nice detour from standard tomato salsa for dipping chips.