mom's recipe

on a grease-stained stove top

in a rundown college apartment

I tried to go home

2 inches of oil (aceite de soya o canola

just enough pero no de oliva

to completely submerge se quema muy rapido)

the six corn tortillas

I’ve carefully cut into triangles (a la mitad, otra vez,

let them fry for a while y una vez mas

watch them turn into chips hasta que tengas octavos)

pull them out

when they’re golden (no se te olviden

place them on a plate las toallas de papel

or bowl, doesn’t matter para que absorban el aceite)

just let them cool

while I make the sauce (vamos a hacer

one whole tomato la salsa roja

boiled until the skin cracks que te gusta)

like porcelain

a handful of dried guajillo peppers (abrelos y quítales

2, maybe 3 dried chiles de árbol las semillas, pican mucho

not too many y a ti no te gusta el chile)

the small ones are spicy

a tooth of garlic (esto solo les da sabor

a pinch of salt para que no te queden

add the water the tomato boiled in desabridos)

blend blend blend

a new pan on the stove (esta sin aceite,

medium heat no quieres volver

not too hot a freirlos)

add the chips

pour the sauce on top (se van a ver como

let the chips muchas tortillas, pero

become tortillas la salsa las encoge)

again

when the smell of the spice (abre una ventana

is strong enough to make me cough para que el olor del chile

take the pan off the heat no te pique los ojos)

a hefty serving for me

topped off with queso fresco (si no encuentras,

first bite usa queso de quesadillas

not like yours aunque no sabrán igual)

but close enough

to take me home