Black Bean and Charred Corn Chilaquiles

I have to admit, I have never heard of Chilaquiles before. I also have to admit that I'm not sure how to even pronounce the word 'Chilaquiles'. I've never really taken Spanish and I dropped French in high school after one week so I could take an advanced placement art class instead. Thankfully I didn't need a foreign language at the time to graduate high school or college. Since I ended up getting my BA in studio art I'd like to think I made the right decision. But now I am only left with remembering the words 'bonjour' and 'comme ci comme ca'. My crash course in Spanish to go work in Tijuana for a week building houses left me with, 'Donde esta el bano?'

Okay, so perhaps I do regret not having learned a foreign language while I had the chance.

Regardless, this easy and authentic Mexican dish comes together in minutes and it is delicious. We don't make it a habit of eating fried tortilla chips every day, but every once in a while on a Friday night, our family will indulge. For us, an indulgence is a heaping plate of nachos covered in homemade refried beans, cheese, and jalapeño peppers. I knew this Chilaquiles recipe would be a nice twist to our occasional nacho splurge.

Black Bean and Charred Corn Chilaquiles
(Recipe adapted from Serious Eats)
((Printable Recipe))

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) bottle salsa verde
1 cup water
1 (16 ounce) bag corn tortilla chips
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
salt to taste

Optional toppings:
1 sliced avocado
1 small onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 cup pepitas, toasted
crumbled queso fresco cheese

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the corn and toss.  Allow the corn to sit, without moving, until it is charred on one side. Toss the corn and continue cooking until the other side is charred, about 6 minutes.  Season with salt to taste and place in a small bowl.

2. In a large stock pot, pour the salsa verde along with 1 cup of water and warm until simmering.  Add the tortilla chips and toss to coat.  Transfer the chips to a large serving platter and top with the charred corn, the black beans, and any of the toppings you want.

Linked to: Skip to my Lou, Midnight Maniac, Katherine Martinelli