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Red Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Thu, 22 May 2008 18:14:00 +0000

Red Chili Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Ninety-five percent of the time when we have enchiladas, it is my mom’s (amazingly good, incredibly awesome) cheese enchiladas. Once in a while however, she’ll make chicken enchiladas. With chicken enchiladas she often uses a red chili sauce which is spicier than the green chiles of the cheese enchiladas. Sometimes she uses canned enchiladas sauce, sometimes she makes it from scratch. Sometimes she coats the tortillas in sauce before cooking them, sometimes she doesn’t. Every time she cooks it is an improvisation, so it can be difficult to pin her down on any one method or another. I’ve presented here her basic methods, with the variations.

1 small onion, chopped (about a cup)
Vegetable oil - grapeseed or olive
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5-ounce can tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted if you can get it
2 Tbsp red chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup to a cup of water

12 corn tortillas
Grapeseed oil, peanut oil or canola oil - a high smoke point vegetable oil such as one of these

2-3 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
Salt
2 cups grated cheese (about 1/3 lb)

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2 Prepare the sauce. Coat a large skillet with oil and sauté the onions on medium heat until translucent, a few minutes. Add the garlic for a minute more. While the onions are cooking, purée the canned tomatoes in a blender. Add the tomatoes to the onions and garlic. Bring to a low simmer. Start adding the chili powder, one teaspoon at a time, tasting after each addition, until you get to the desired level of heat and chili flavor. For us that’s around 2 Tablespoons. But it depends on your taste and how strong the chili powder is that you are using. Note that the tortillas and chicken will absorb some of the heat, so allow for that and let it be a little bit spicier than what you want in the finished dish. Add a teaspoon of sugar if necessary to cut down on the acid from the tomatoes. You want more of the taste of the chili and less of the tomatoes for this sauce. As the sauce simmers, dilute it with water to keep it from getting to thick as it simmers. Remove from heat.

Alternatively, use a prepared canned enchilada sauce, which can be perfectly fine.

3 Mix in 1/4 cup of the sauce with the cooked chicken, and a 1/4 cup of the cheese. Sprinkle with a little salt. Set aside.

4 Prepare the tortillas. There are 2 basic ways to prepare the tortillas - the traditional way of dipping them in the sauce and heating them individually, and my mom’s way when she is trying to cut down on the fat.

First the traditional way. Heat a small light skillet on med-high heat. Add a teaspoon of oil (high smoke point oil as indicated above, we use grapeseed oil) to coat the pan. Dip a tortilla in the sauce to coat the tortilla with sauce on both sides. Place the tortilla in the skillet and heat for a few seconds, until the tortilla begin to show some air bubbles. Use a metal spatula to flip to the other side for a few more seconds. Set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Proceed to the step 5.

For my mom’s low-fat method of heating up the tortillas, she places a small amount of oil in the skillet to coat the pan. Add a tortilla, flip it to its other side. Then add another tortilla on top of the first to soak up some of the excess oil. Flip them both together and add yet another tortilla. Keep adding them wherever there seems to be some excess oil. The idea is to heat the tortillas and soften them with the minimum amount of oil. As the tortillas become soft and heated, remove them to a paper towel to soak up even more excess oil. If you find you need more oil in the pan, add it. With this method, you do NOT get the chili flavor infused in the tortillas. It is a matter of preference. I prefer the first method, excess oil or not, because it has a much richer and spicier flavor. But as my mom says, “Anything goes. This is just a guideline; do what you want."

Note that because we made this batch the low-fat way, the following photos show tortillas not coated in chili sauce, but the method is the same for if you did.

5 Assemble the enchiladas. Use an 8x12 inch pyrex baking dish. Place a couple spoonfuls of the chicken mixture in the center of a tortilla and roll it up. Place in the baking dish and repeat until all dozen of your tortillas are neatly placed in rows in the casserole dish. Cover the tortillas rolls with the remaining sauce.

Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Note that I recall often eating these chicken enchiladas with very little cheese on them. Instead we had probably 2/3 cup of chopped fresh onion that had been soaked in vinegar sprinkled over the top. (My mom, bless her soul, has no recollection of the chicken enchiladas without the sprinkled cheese. But she’s in her 70s and sometimes doesn’t remember these things. Or she remembers later and doesn’t remember that she ever forgot them in the first place. But heck, I’m in my 40s and my memory isn’t what it used to be either.)

6 Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Use a metal spatula to serve.

Serve with thinly sliced iceberg lettuce that has been seasoned with vinegar and salt (no oil), guacamole or avocado slices, and sour cream. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 4.

Dan’s notes: Make more sauce- maybe double the recipe. The first way of frying the tortillas is easier.

Chicken Enchiladas

Thu, 22 May 2008 17:57:00 +0000

Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup chopped onion
¼ cup margarine or butter
¼ cup unsifted flour
2 ½ cups hot water
1 tbsp chicken flavored bouillon cube or 3 cubes
1 (8oz) sour cream, at room temperature
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 (4 oz) can chopped mild green chilies, drained
1 tsp ground cumin
10 (8 in) flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. In medium saucepan, cook onion in margarine until tender. Stir in flour then water and bouillon; cook and stir until thickened and bouillon dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. In large bowl, combine 1 cup sauce, chicken, 1 cup cheese, chilies and cumin; mix well. Dip each tortilla into remaining hot sauce to soften; fill each with equal portions of chicken mixture. Roll up. Arrange in greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 25 minutes or until bubbly. Garnish as desired. Refrigerate leftovers.
Source: Aunt Jill and Uncle Marc

Salsa de Tomatillo con Aguacate

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:50:00 +0000

Salsa de Tomatillo con Aguacate
SUBMITTED BY DAVE
http://www.internationalrecipes.net/find/Salsa%20de%20Tomatillo%20con%20Aguacate
This versatile sauce is served with some classic Veracruzan antojitos (appetizers, snacks). It also goes well with grilled meats, chicken and fish. The chunky-textured original was made with a Mexican stone mortar and pestle. If using a food processor or blender, adjust the texture to your liking.

2 garlic cloves, cut in chunks
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 small white onion, coarsely chopped
2 - 3 (or to taste) serrano chiles, stems removed, cut into chunks
1/2 pound tomatillos (6 - 8 average-sized tomatillos), cut into quarters
4 - 6 cilantro sprigs
1 ripe Mexican-type avocado (Hass or Fuerte)

In a food processor or blender, process the garlic and salt to a paste. Scrape down the sides if necessary with a rubber spatula; add the onion, chiles, tomatillos, and cilantro. Process with an on-off motion to make a slight chunky puree. Scoop out the avocado flesh into the machine and process to the desired smoothness. Serve within 1 hour (or preferably at once).

Yield: About 2 1/4 cups

Dan’s note: this is pretty much guacamole, at least it seems to me. It’s good guacamole, though.

Cheese enchiladas

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Cheese enchiladas
source: http://www.chow.com/recipes/11370

Cheesy Enchiladas
CHOW
Difficulty: Medium

Total: 1 hr 25 mins
Active: 50 mins
Makes: 24 enchiladas

By Adela Jung

Enchiladas are made in both Mexico and the States, but their similarity stops at their name and the fact that they’re rolled tortillas filled with stuff. While Mexican enchiladas are made by dipping the tortillas in sauce, frying them, and filling them only with meat, the Tex-Mex versions are filled with cheese or meat and topped with lots more sauce (a.k.a. gravy) and cheese. This recipe was a big hit here at CHOW: Every time we made it the staff ate it up in a matter of minutes.

Game plan: If 24 enchiladas are too many for you to consume at once, just save some for later. Make the enchiladas through step 3, then cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. At this point, they can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks. To finish, heat the oven to 350°F, uncover and place in the oven while still cold or frozen, and bake until cheese is melted and centers are warm, about 20 minutes for the refrigerated enchiladas or 40 minutes if frozen.

This recipe was featured as part of our Super Bowl for a Crowd menu.

INGREDIENTS

* Chile Gravy
* 3 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 10 ounces)
* 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 10 ounces)
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 24 (6-inch) corn tortillas
* 1 cup finely chopped white onion (about 1/2 medium onion)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 350°F. Evenly coat the bottom of 2 (13-by-9-inch) baking dishes with 1 cup of the gravy each. Mix cheeses together in a large bowl until evenly combined, and line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, about 5 minutes. Test oil temperature by carefully dipping the edge of a tortilla in the oil—it should bubble vigorously. Once oil is hot, use a metal spatula to carefully submerge tortillas one at a time until bubbles form around each, about 5 to 10 seconds. Flip and fry an additional 5 seconds, or until edges of tortilla are slightly crisp but not browned. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Repeat with remaining tortillas, separating layers with paper towels.
Blot tortillas with paper towels to soak up any excess oil, then fill each with 2 heaping tablespoons cheese mixture and 2 teaspoons onion. Roll to enclose filling and set tortillas in the baking dishes seam side down, placing 12 enchiladas in each dish. Evenly distribute remaining 1 cup gravy over both baking dishes and top with remaining 2 1/2 cups cheese.
Bake until hot and bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Chile Gravy
CHOW
Difficulty: Medium

Total: 25 mins
Active: 25 mins
Makes: 3 cups

By Adela Jung

This chile gravy is a Tex-Mex staple. Serve atop enchiladas or nachos, blend up a few margaritas, and invite some friends over.

What to buy: Ancho chiles are a smoked and dried poblano (a.k.a. pasilla) chile. The chiles and powder can be found in the Latin section of most grocery stores or in Latin markets. If you can’t find anchos, you can substitute chiles mulatos, though they are often more difficult to find.

This recipe was featured as part of our Super Bowl for a Crowd menu.
INGREDIENTS

* 3 whole ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed
* 3 cups vegetable broth
* 1/4 medium white onion, coarsely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
* 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
* 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
* 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano

INSTRUCTIONS
Place chiles in a small saucepan and cover with 1 1/2 cups of the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until chiles have softened, about 5 minutes.
Pour chile mixture (with cooking liquid) and onion in a blender, cover the lid with a kitchen towel, and blend on high until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth and blend to combine.
Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until soft and tender but not browned, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour smells toasted but garlic remains pale in color, about 2 minutes more.
Whisk in ancho chile powder, cumin, and oregano, then slowly pour in chile mixture. Whisk until chile mixture is completely incorporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season well with salt.

Dan’s notes: the corn tortillas make this more “authentic” tasting. And the chile gravy. Could use a little more heat, in my opinion, although I used regular chile powder instead of ancho chile powder. Could use a little more cheese too. I put beef and peppers in them as well. I found dried ancho chiles at the Market District Giant Eagle.