HAIL REY
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 6 years, Howard students have frequented El Rey more than a classroom, exam room or advising office. El Rey has had a rather…complex relationship with our university and its student body—whether you want to discuss the discrimination, fights or even the upping of prices to ward away individuals!!!! However, nothing—and I mean NOTHING—seems to really free Howard students or alum from the claws of this food establishment. It’s almost brainwashing. It’s almost God- or devil-like in how it tantalizes one. It consumes you. That’s why the nickname is “Hell Rey”, or as I mistakenly spelled it years ago, “Hail Rey”.
My first time visiting the food pit was much after its establishment with our student body. As in most cases, I missed out on happy hours in college due to my work-study job being from 4-8PM/Monday-Thursday aka “PRIME TIME”; as a result, I would be entering my dorm as most students were already passed out from the ten margaritas and 3 tequila shots they consumed at 7:45PM. The thought of me visiting the legendary El Rey happy hour became a dream of sorts; it would take a miracle or at least I thought that. One day fortune came as I had a Thursday off to enjoy the festivities. My opportune mind and heart had only one plan: to enter the belly of this hellish food spot.
After waiting in line for 30 minutes and getting through the upcycled trailer’s mouth, my eyes were met with much surprise as the place had very dimmed electric lighting accompanied by some natural and such a relaxed energy. It was welcoming. We ended up finding a table and making our way to order food when I noticed every Howard student walking around the restaurant so casually. It felt more peaceful rather than evil. “Maybe this place had been bestowed with a benevolent being?", I thought as my margarita pitcher came to the table. Following 4 margaritas before 5:30PM, I knew I was wrong. This place became a whirlwind of noise, dancing, ridiculously hot food and painfully long restroom lines as students continued to be digested through security. Everyone had became obsessed with sharing margaritas, food, water cups and taking selfies in the dirty yellow painted restrooms. The place, once considered a destination of legend, had become this fully realized intestines of celebration and hedonism tunneled through drunken vision, and it has stayed that way ever since. Once released from the bowels, you stumble your way to hopefully a bed, Uber or friend’s arms. And you wait until the beast calls you back again and again and again.
I don’t hail El Rey, and you shouldn’t either. If you want nachos at home, then you just had to ask. You never have to enter.
el rey’s “nachos”
ingredients:
salsa roja:
ancho chiles (I used pasilla, guajillo, arbol + california), deseeded + destemmed
2 white onions, sliced into quarters
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1T mexican oregano OR regular oregano
1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo
2 LARGE OR 3 small chicken breasts
4c chicken stock, unsalted + water if needed
salt & pepper to taste
optional: 1 juice of lime
queso:
3T butter
3T flour
2-3 roasted poblanos, roasted, destemmed + deseeded
8oz. queso de papa, shredded (or 6 slices of american + 4oz. monterey jack)
3-4oz. oaxaca cheese, shredded
2c milk
salt & pepper to taste
refried black beans:
15oz. can of black beans, drained + rinsed
1/2c chicken/veggie stock OR water
1T cumin
1T garlic powder
1T lime juice, fresh
salt & pepper to taste
chips:
homemade or store-bought tortilla chips
Note: if you're making them homemade, I do recommend frying them a bit hard to help stand the queso.
garnish:
1/4 red onion, diced
4oz. queso de papa, melted
cilantro, roughly chopped
black beans, refried
fresh or pickled jalapenos, sliced
crema
fresh lime, sliced
queso fresco, crumbled
optional: black olives, sliced
optional: pickled onions
Helpful items:
cast iron skillet
aluminum foil
blender
serving tray/small baking sheet
small baking sheet
meat thermometer
whisk
kitchen spatula
kitchen grater
potato masher
parchment paper
recipe (salsa roja):
In a hot cast iron skillet or large pot, add garlic, tomatoes and white onion. Cook until slightly brown or charred. Remove vegetables and add chiles. Cook until fragrant but not charred. Place garlic, tomatoes, white onion and chiles into bigger pan unless skillet is large enough. Cover with stock or water and add mexican oregano. Mix. Bring to a simmer.
Note: Instead of placing all vegetables inside to brown or char, you can start with one to ensure the skillet/pot is at the right temperature. You can see this practice done in the photos below.
Butterfly chicken breasts. Add to mixture and make sure the chicken is covered by liquid if not add more. Kill the heat and allow chicken to cook for 15-20 minutes OR until 165F internal temperature is reached. Take chicken out and shred to desired texture with fork or hand. Set pot or pan aside and DO NOT DISCARD.
After cooking liquid has cooled, add vegetables into blender and fill with enough cooking liquid until vegetables are covered. Blend. Add chipotle peppers. Blend. Taste and add black pepper & salt for flavor. Set aside.
Optional: You can add 1 juice of lime to make this more el rey like, but I do not recommend it.
recipe (queso):
Set oven to highest broil. In an aluminum lined baking sheet, place 3 poblano peppers and place into oven’s middle rack. Cook for 5-6 minutes OR until peppers have charred. Flip and cook an additional 5-6 minutes OR until other side has charred. Remove from oven and carefully cover baking sheet and peppers with aluminum foil. This will help keep the residual steam of the peppers and allow the skin to thoroughly peel off. Allow peppers to steam for 15 minutes. Once the peppers have steamed and cooled, slowly peel off the charred skin and remove the stems and seeds from peppers. Roughly chop or dice. Set aside.
In a medium-size pot set to medium high, place butter and flour. Continuously whisk to avoid burning. As the flour and butter begin to come together, slowly add milk in small doses while continuously whisking until ingredients are homogenized. Add in oaxaca and queso. Kill the heat and slowly fold mixture with kitchen spatula until the cheese has completely melted inside. Add diced poblano peppers. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or keep warm on low.
Note: If queso is a bit clumpy, then you should continue to fold. If queso is a bit runny, you can add some more oaxaca or queso cheese to the mix. If queso is a bit too thick, you can add a tablespoon of milk at a time and fold. The queso will also thicken a bit more once cooled down.
recipe (refried black beans):
In a medium-size pot set to medium high, add black beans and stock OR water until beans are barely covered. Allow mixture to reach boil and then set heat to low or simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add in cumin and garlic powder. Mash with a potato masher or fork to desired texture as beans still cook. Add lime juice and salt & pepper to taste.
assembly:
Set oven to 400F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium size bowl, add shredded chicken and 1 cup of your salsa roja. Mix. Add more salsa roja but do not drench chicken.
Place tortilla chips to cover bottom of baking sheet. Add chicken on top of chips. Add shredded queso on top of chicken. Place into oven to bake for 10-15 OR until cheese is MELTED. You do not want this cheese burnt unless you’re into that for some odd reason!
Remove tray from oven and generously pour refried black beans on top of melted cheese. Pour queso mixture over black beans ensuring that there’s enough queso to cover all chips.
Garnish with cilantro, red onion, crema, lime and queso fresco. Enjoy!
