At the small neighborhood market where I buy essentials for Mexican cooking, the meat counter has thick Mexican-style crema and slabs of moist queso fresco in bulk so I can buy just as much as I need. With Thanksgiving looming, I’ll need some of both for turkey chilaquiles. My husband and I are splitting a turkey with friends (I joked that I wanted the front half), but even so, we are sure to have plenty left over for one of my favorite cheese-topped Mexican dishes.

Crema is thinner than sour cream and not as rich or tangy as crème fraîche. The crema I buy tastes cultured although I doubt that it is. It has a soft, silky texture and a pleasant saltiness. Carlos Yescas, the program director for Oldways Cheese Coalition, who also operates a cheese business in Mexico, tells me that crema, in the old days, was made from naturally soured raw cream lightened with buttermilk. Today, from what I can tell, most commercial crema is thickened with an acid and a natural stabilizer, such as carrageenan. Yescas still sells the old-style crema in Mexico but it is much more expensive than what most people buy.

I drizzle crema on top of butternut squash soup and roasted-tomato soup, along with crumbles of queso fresco. If you can’t muster the energy for chilaquiles, make turkey tacos with shredded romaine, roast turkey, salsa, crema and queso fresco.

Wishing you and your loved ones a tasty and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Turkey Chilaquiles

It takes about 15 minutes to fry your own tortilla chips for this dish, and it’s worth it. You can substitute store-bought tortilla chips (thick ones, not thin ones), but they soften more in the sauce. I prefer the sturdiness of the homemade chips.

Chips:

• 4 day-old corn tortillas, about 6 inches in diameter

• Canola oil for frying

• Sea salt

Chilaquiles:

• 1-1/2 pounds plum (Roma) tomatoes

• 3 half-inch-thick slices of white onion, peeled

• 4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

• 1 tablespoon canola oil

• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile en adobo, or more to taste (I like more)

• 2 cups shredded roast turkey

• About 2 cups chicken or turkey broth

Garnishes:

• 1/3 cup crema (Mexican sour cream)

• 1/3 cup crumbled queso fresco

• 3 radishes, sliced thin

• ½ small avocado, sliced lengthwise

• Cilantro leaves

Stack the tortillas and cut into 6 wedges to yield 24 pieces. In a heavy saucepan, heat 1 inch of canola oil to 370°F. Adjust the heat to keep the temperature steady. Fry the tortilla wedges 6 or 8 at a time until they darken slightly and become crisp, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently to keep them from sticking together. Transfer with a skimmer to paper towels to drain. Season with salt while they are warm.

Preheat the broiler and position a rack about 6 inches from the heat. Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and put the tomatoes, onion slices, and garlic on it. Broil, turning as needed, until the onions and garlic have softened and charred in spots and the tomatoes are blackened, with split skin and soft flesh. With tongs, transfer the vegetables to a plate as they are done. (The garlic will be done before the tomatoes and onion.) Peel the garlic. Discard the tomato skins and core, then chop the tomatoes coarsely. Put the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender and blend until smooth.

Heat the 1 tablespoon canola oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sauce. Be careful—it will immediately hiss and bubble up. Adjust the heat to maintain a brisk simmer. Add the oregano, crumbling it between your fingers. Add the chipotle and salt to taste and simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thick and flavorful, about 5 minutes.

Add 1-1/2 cups of chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add the fried tortilla chips. Return to a simmer, adding more broth if needed to moisten all the chips. Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Taste for salt, then stir in the shredded turkey. Add a little more broth if the mixture seems dry (it should not be soupy). Bring to a simmer, cover, remove from the heat, and let stand for about 5 minutes to soften the tortillas.

If the crema is too thick to drizzle, whisk it with cold water to thin. Transfer the chilaquiles to a deep serving platter or individual bowls. Garnish with drizzled crema, radishes, queso fresco, avocado and cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

Serves 2 to 3