Prepare ancho cream sauce.

Reserve in the pan off heat.

Then, spread the tortilla wedges, overlapping, in a large nonstick skillet.

Pour the sauce over the tortillas to coat them.

Heat the tortillas and sauce over medium heat, moving the wedges around as the sauce starts to boil.

Cook until completely heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.

(The tortillas will become limp and absorb some of the sauce, and some may break, but that’s okay.

)

With a wide spatula, divide the tortillas and sauce among 4 shallow soup plates.

Sprinkle with cheese and cilantro.

Serve hot.

If the tortillas are very fresh, spread them on a counter to dry a bit—about 30 minutes.

Heat oil to a depth of about ½ inch in a skillet.

Fry the tortilla wedges until barely browned and almost crisp.

Drain on paper towels.

Reserve.

Preheat the oven broiler.

In a deep saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil used for frying the tortillas, and cook the onion until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, ancho powder, beans, corn, spinach, and chicken broth.

Bring to a boil.

Stir in the reserved tortilla wedges, cilantro, and salt.

Continue to stir until the tortillas start to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.

Turn the mixture into a shallow ovenproof baking dish.

Top with the cheese.

Broil about 6 inches from the heat until the cheese melts and bubbles.

Serve at once.

In a medium skillet, heat oil to a depth of about ½ inch until it simmers.

Fry the tortilla strips, in batches, until golden and crisp.

Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the skillet.

Add the onion, and cook, stirring, until the edges start to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the cumin, zucchini, corn, and chiles.

Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, broth, cilantro, and salt.

Bring to a boil and transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish.

Add the tortilla strips and half of the cheese.

Stir gently to combine.

Press to level the top.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake until completely heated through and the cheese melts, about 20 minutes.

Serve hot.

Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and put the chiles in a bowl.

Pour boiling water over the chiles and let stand to soak 1 hour.

Reserve 1 cup of the soaking liquid, and discard remaining liquid.

Put the chiles in a blender with the cup of reserved liquid and ½ teaspoon of the salt.

Blend until smooth.

Press through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pushing and scraping to extract the pulp.

Discard the debris left in the strainer.

(There will be about 1 cup purée.

)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Grease a 9- × 13-inch baking pan.

Put the puréed chiles in a large bowl.

Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Transfer the mixture to the baking pan and spread to even the top.

Bake, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.

Cut into squares and serve.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a medium heavy skillet until the oil shimmers.

Fry the tortilla pieces, in batches, until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon.

Drain on paper towels, then reserve in a large bowl.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the skillet, and sautée the onion, stirring, until it begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

Reserve off heat.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Put the tomatoes, garlic, chile, thyme, and ¼ cup of water in a blender jar and purée until smooth.

Add to the skillet with the onions, and cook 6 to 8 minutes to blend the flavors.

Put the tomato mixture into the bowl with the tortilla pieces, and stir gently to combine, and transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish.

Drizzle on the crema, and scatter the cheese over the top.

Bake until completely heated through and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Serve.

In a skillet, heat oil to a depth of 1 inch, and fry the tortilla wedges until crisp and light brown.

Drain on paper towels.

Reserve.

In a 3-quart saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of the oil from frying the tortillas over medium heat, and cook the onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the pork, cumin, and bay leaf.

Cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the pork is tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°.

Put the tomatoes in a small foil-lined baking dish and roast until soft and wrinkled, about 20 minutes.

Reserve.

In a small nonstick skillet, over medium heat, toast the chiles, turning and pressing them flat onto the pan with a spatula until they are aromatic and a bit of orange color appears on the skin, 35 to 40 seconds.

(Do not burn them.

) Break the chiles into pieces and put in a blender with the roasted tomatoes, epazote, and ¼ cup of water.

Blend as smooth as possible.

Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into the pan with the pork.

Discard the debris from the strainer.

Add the toasted tortilla wedges to the pork, and stir gently to mix everything together.

Reheat over medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pan frequently to prevent scorching the dish.

Spoon the chilaquiles onto 4 serving plates.

Sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve at once.

Prepare the red chile sauce.

Prepare the meatballs and keep them warm in the cooking broth.

Pour oil to a depth of about 1 inch in a medium skillet and heat until it shimmers.

Fry the tortilla strips, in batches, until golden.

Drain on paper towels.

In a large wide saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil from the skillet over medium heat and fry the onions until they start to brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the prepared red chile sauce and ½ cup of the cooking broth from the meatballs.

Break the fried tortilla strips in half and add to the sauce mixture.

Stir to combine and heat through.

If the tortillas are still dry, stir in some additional liquid.

Mix in the cheese to just combine, and transfer the contents to a clay casserole dish or other attractive serving dish.

Arrange the heated meatballs around the outside edge of the dish.

Sprinkle with cilantro.

(The chilaquiles can be kept warm in a 200° oven about 20 minutes, for the best texture, after that they become soggy.

)

Prepare the tamale dough using chicken broth instead of water for the liquid.

Cover and refrigerate.

Prepare the red seasoning paste and put it into a medium bowl.

Add ½ cup of water and mix until smooth, and pour into a large 4 to 6 quart saucepan.

Add the chicken broth and the chicken pieces.

Arrange the tomatoes and onion on top.

Sprinkle with epazote, salt, and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken, tomatoes and onion from the broth.

Return the broth to a boil and cook until reduced by half; then reserve off heat.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, discarding the bones, and tear the meat into bite-size pieces.

Return the chicken, tomatoes, and onion to the broth.

Mix and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Grease a shallow 21⁄2-quart casserole dish.

(An earthenware casserole dish is perfect.

) Spread or press about ⅓ of the tamale dough on the bottom and sides of the dish.

Spoon the chicken, tomatoes, and onion mixture into the dish.

Spread the remaining tamale dough over the top to enclose the filling.

Cover tightly with foil.

Bake 25 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake until the top is barely browned, about 30 to 35 minutes more.

Prepare the pork.

Mix the purchased red salsa with the shredded pork.

Prepare the ranchera sauce.

Prepare the tamale dough.

If made ahead and refrigerated, bring the pork, sauce, and dough to room temperature about 1 hour before using.

In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the chard leaves until pliable, 40 seconds.

Drain and cool.

With a sharp knife, cut out about 2 inches of the thick center rib from each leaf.

Cover leaves with a damp towel to keep moist.

Put 1 chard leaf on a flat surface.

Put about 2 tablespoons of dough in the center of the leaf and spread into a 1⁄2-inch-thick rectangle.

Put about 2 tablespoons shredded pork on the dough.

Put 1 more tablespoon of dough on top of the meat, and spread to cover the meat.

Fold the leaves overlapping on all sides to make a package.

(The blanched leaves are tender and will cling together.

) Repeat with remaining chard leaves.

Put about 3 inches of water and a coin in the bottom of a large steamer.

(A rattling coin means there’s still water in the pot.

) Line the steamer rack with foil.

Arrange the tamales, folded side down.

Cover with foil and tuck a kitchen towel over the top.

Put on the lid.

Bring to a boil and steam tamales about 1 hour, or until the dough is firm and easily pulls away from the leaf.

To serve, heat the sauce and spoon about 1 tablespoon of warm sauce on top of each wrapped tamal.

These tamales do not freeze well, but can be refrigerated 2 to 3 days and reheated in the steamer.

Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes.

Put into a large pot with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, and salt.

Add water to cover by about 1-inch.

Bring to a boil, skimming the surface as needed.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.

Remove from the heat, uncover, and cool the meat in the broth.

When the meat is cool, pour the broth through a strainer into a container and save.

(Discard the debris.

) Shred the meat with your fingers, removing any excess fat or gristle.

The meat and broth are ready to use.