The Evolution of an Enchilada

 

I grew up on enchiladas. My mom made them on a regular basis. I learned how to make them at a young age. They were a staple in our household.

With our family's Mexican heritage, you would think this would be just one of many dishes passed down through the generations. Surprise - this is the only Mexican food my mom ever made. It was the only dish she remembers learning from her own mother, who was descended from the original Spanish inhabitants of California.

I'm not sure if the dish she taught me was exactly what was passed down to her. The version I learned at mom's kitchen counter was very Americanized. Ground beef, corn tortillas, enchilada sauce, cheddar cheese, and olives. In spite of that, a hit with our family. I made it for my kids quite often when they were younger. However, it's been a while.

As with most recipes I enjoy, I'm always trying to improve it. Years ago, I began swapping out chicken for the beef. When Mexican cheeses became more available, I swapped that in. I began adding green chilies to the filling for more flavor. I was beginning to make it mine.

Last week as I was making a menu plan and a shopping list, I realized Cinco de Mayo was coming up. Instead of my usual Mexican dishes (chili verde, carne asada tacos, posole, albondigas, or tortilla soup) on a whim I decided to revisit enchiladas again. It may have come back into my mind because of a treasure I snagged on my last visit to Whole Foods - Hatch brand enchilada sauce! I knew that had to be delicious.

However, on the advice of my gastroenterologist I am trying to reduce or eliminate dairy in my diet. I decided to make the chicken filling very flavorable and not have cheese inside the enchiladas, only on top. I had some leftover chicken breast from a rotisserie chicken, so I bought two large packages of thighs. I brined and grilled them - tons of flavor right off the bat! Jim helped me shred it, which was quite a chore. This could also be made with a rotisserie chicken, a whole roasted chicken, or the already cooked and cut up chicken you can buy in the package. For the amount of chicken you need, roasting or grilling your own is the way to go.

These were so delicious, we nibbled quite a bit as we shredded!

I sauteed a whole diced onion with four cloves of minced garlic and added it to the meat, along with finely minced cilantro and four cans of diced green chilies. This is what I ended up with:

OK, I know this is a lot of chicken. Way too much for two trays of enchiladas. My motto is, better too much than not enough. The extra is in the freezer for a crockpot chicken dish I make sometimes for Bible study group. There was probably way less left over than you would think - I really overstuff the tortillas, which is the way to go. I like a high ratio of stuffing.

The time consuming part, other than shredding the chicken, is assembling the enchiladas. It's also very, very messy. Don't wear nice clothing - enchilada sauce stains!

I heated my comal over high heat and enlisted my youngest to cook the tortillas. I've found this is a crucial step. My mom never did this - instead, she heated some of the enchilada sauce in a small pan, dipped the tortillas, and rolled. I don't know if she had some particularly fresh or special tortillas, but they never cracked or fell apart. If I try this with tortillas I can buy locally, disaster. The only way around this is to cook them first, then dip them in the sauce. They don't rip or disintegrate at all.

I dip the tortillas in a small pan of sauce, lay them in the dish, fill them with a generous portion of meat and two black olives, and roll them. Make sure the seam ends up down. Don't worry if filling spills out the sides. I push mine up against each other, making room for lots of enchiladas in one pan. The one at the end of the row is hardest, but you'll get it with practice. Corn tortillas are small, so I fill up the rest of the dish with enchiladas rolled the other direction. I usually end up with about 15 rolls in one casserole dish.

As a side note, I know some people use flour tortillas. I have used them in the past as well. I highly prefer the flavor and texture of corn tortillas. Flour tortillas are kind of bland and fall apart more easily when dipped in the sauce.

Next, I take the remaining sauce (one 14 ounce can) and drizzle it over the top of the dish of enchiladas, spreading it out evenly, especially around the edges. I then top with more olives and shredded Mexican cheese. Trays can be frozen or refrigerated and cooked later. Bake (thawed) at 350F for about 20-25 minutes.

Now, recipe - hmmm, that is a hard one. How do I give an exact recipe for something I've always just cooked by look and feel? For the two trays I made this time, I used one package of 30 corn tortillas, two 14 ounce cans of enchilada sauce, two cans of medium pitted black olives, four 4 ounce cans of diced green chilies, one onion, four cloves garlic, one tablespoon canola oil to sautee the onion and garlic, and one two pound package of shredded Mexican cheese blend. For the chicken, it's harder to say - about 6 ounces of rotisserie chicken breast, and two family size packages of chicken thighs, which I brined.

I think this recipe can be perfected even further. I'm thinking my next goal will be to learn to make my own enchilada sauce from scratch - won't that be fun!

Crockpot Bison Roast

I saw a bison roast like this in the oddest place - the produce section of the commissary! I just had to get one and try it out. It was a big hit!

I needed a crockpot meal for Bible study Wednesday night, so in the morning I browned the roast on all sides in a medium hot pan in canola oil, then placed it in a crockpot set to low. I turned the pan to medium heat and deglazed it with a cup of red wine. Next I added a tablespoon of beef base, a cup of water, fresh thyme leaves, and 4 cloves of garlic, crushed. I let it reduce by about half, while stirring up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan from the roast. Then I added this to the crockpot.

Next, I roughly chopped a whole yellow onion (I like large pieces of onion in a dish like this) and added it to the crockpot. Then, I washed and halved a small bag of baby yukon gold potatoes and added them. I seasoned the vegetables with salt and pepper and let it cook on low for 6 hours.

I removed the roast from the crockpot to a cutting board and sliced it, then stirred it back into the sauce and vegetables. I turned the crockpot to the warm setting for about 20 minutes while waiting for my guests to arrive. In the meantime I made some roasted asparagus to serve alongside.

All our guest raved about it - including the kids! In fact, they ate every last scrap of meat and I was left with some sauce and a few vegetables. Nothing for a picture even! Oh well, I will definitely make this again.

Sausage and Kale Soup

I had never heard of this soup before when a friend brought it to a potluck at my house. It was so delicious! I've been wanting to make it myself for almost a year. What brought it to my mind again was a post on Pinterest of in season vegetables - kale is in season now. I have never used it, don't know how to use it, and actually don't think I've ever eaten it except in that soup. So, I decided to make it tonight.

Of course, like with every recipe I get, I had to modify it somewhat. I always use turkey Italian sausage - both for the lower fat content and for the taste. I also changed how it was made, mostly so it would cook faster because I had guests coming over in about 20 minutes.

Katie's Kale Soup

1 lb Italian sausage (I like mild sausage) *I used turkey Italian sausage; one package is about 1.5 lbs
2 large russet baking potatoes , sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices *I chopped mine very small so it would cook quickly
1 large onion , chopped
1/4 cup bacon bit (optional) *I did not use this
2 garlic cloves , minced
2 cups kale chopped (i always use way more)
2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth *I used one quart low fat, low sodium chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces; brown sausage in your soup pot. (i take skin off and bake for about 30-40 mins then crumble) *I just cooked it like I usually do - removed the casing and crumbled it while cooking

Remove sausage from pot with a slotted spoon, leaving any fat in the bottom. Add chicken broth and water to pot and stir. * Because of time constraints, I added the potato and cooked it in the fat until it started to become translucent before adding broth.

Place onions, potatoes, and garlic in pot. *I wanted the potatoes to cook quickly so I only added the potatoes and garlic at this point, and kept it boiling on high until the potatoes were just soft, and mashed them at this point. Then I added the onions and water.

Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. (slightly mash some of potatoes it will make soup thicker)

Add sausage and bacon. *I didn't use bacon.

Salt and pepper to taste. *I don't ever season soup until the end - sausage is salty!

Simmer for another 10 minutes. *More like 5 minutes here.

Turn to low heat.

Add kale and cream. Heat through.

I adore this soup - it is delicious! And with the reduced fat from the broth and the sausage, and the reduced sodium in the sauce, this is a basically healthy soup. Serve with some Italian bread on the side and it's a great cold weather meal!

Great New Cauliflower Recipe

I've been trying to eat more locally, and also eat fruits and vegetables that are in season, so I bought cauliflower to go with our meal tonight. Didn't want just boring steamed preparation, so I looked online and found an interesting recipe. Turns out to be delicious!

You can find the recipe here:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_cauliflower/

Linguica

I grew up on this sausage. It's a Portuguese smoked sausage with a garlicky flavor and a rough texture. I can't remember the brand we used then, but I'm pretty sure it was a regional specialty company brand. I grew up on the Central Coast of California, which is home to a highly concentrated Azorean Portuguese population, of which I am a member, 100% on my father's side and 25% on my mom's.

When I married my Navy man and moved away from California, this is something I definitely missed on the East Coast. The only concentration of Azoreans in the East is in Massachusetts, about eight hours north from where we were. Then we spent a few years in San Diego, where if there is any available, it was too difficult to find. But then we spent seven years in beautiful Hawaii, with a large Azorean population from way back, where linguica is widely available as Portuguese sausage. It is even sold at McDonald's!

Two years ago we moved back to the East Coast and again are missing our special sausage. My sister brought some when she came for Jim's retirement and we DEVOURED it. My kids have been asking for it ever since, and I've even been scouring the internet for online ordering sources. Then, by a fluke, I was looking in the sausage section at Harris Teeter's for something completely different, when I spotted a package of Gaspar's Portuguese Linguica. We were practically dancing in the aisle for joy!

Tonight we had linguica sandwiches - on rolls with sauteed peppers and onions and spicy mustard. Yummm! I can't wait to have it in the traditional ways - grilled and sliced at almost every barbecue as a appetizer, added to scrambled eggs, and in caldo verde or Portuguese bean soup.

Homemade Corn Tortillas

It's been a long, long time since I had those incredible, hot, freshly made corn tortillas that I remember from authentic cooks, like our childhood family friend, Trudy. It took this recent trip to Mazatlan to reawaken my love for them. We had them everywhere, with everything, and they were truly amazing!


This wonderful lady even taught Richard and I how easy they are to make - even in her makeshift, outdoor kitchen in the Universo Colonia. So simple, that I purchased the equipment while there, and made them for my family already. These are going to become a staple around here!

First, I needed to find a local Tienda (Mexican market) to find a specific kind of corn flour, called Manseca. I was told this is the kind to use to get the best tortillas. The package has the recipe in both English and Spanish - basically, just the flour, water, and maybe a little salt. You work it into a dough with your hands to get the right consistency - it should be pliable like playdough, but not sticky. If your first few tortillas rip, they are too dry - if they stick, they are too wet. Add water or more Manseca to get it just right. Roll into golf ball size balls of dough - to get just the right size, use the recommended number of balls in the recipe. Dough dries out quickly, so keep it covered with a moist towel or plastic.

Next step is the press. Certainly you can roll out your dough, or pat it out by hand, but the press is so consistent and quick, it is well worth the money. Mine cost about $165 pesos in Mazatlan - about $16. You want to have two pieces of a thick plastic, a ziploc type bag is better than plastic wrap for this. Put the first piece of plastic on the press, top with a ball of dough, then the second piece of plastic. Press well - you want it pretty thin, not as thin as a flour tortilla, but close.

They need to be cooked immediately on a hot surface - a stainless steel or cast iron comal is best, but a griddle would work also. Peel off the top layer of plastic, and pick up with the bottom piece. Invert onto your clean hand, peel off the plastic, and slap onto the hot comal. Cook about 30-45 seconds, then flip. If you are brave you can use your hands, but if not, use a steel spatula.

If you are going to use immediately, keep warm by wrapping in a moist towel or placing in a tortilla saver (I got a fantastic foam lined one in Mazatlan that I love). If not, let them cool before wrapping in plastic and refrigerating. Reheat on a comal or in a microwave.

Once you see how simple it is, and how superior handmade tortillas are to store bought, I think you will find yourself making them, too!

Pico de Gallo recipe

We recently returned from a missions trip to Mazatlan, Mexico. Love, love, love the food there! So fresh and real. Having been away from California for so long, I miss the real deal.

We were blessed to work together with some local ladies in one of the church kitchens, and they helped us make some pico de gallo, Mazatlan style. It is so simple!

Of course, we were making an insanely large amount for our mobile kitchen, so last week I experimented at home with a more manageable amount. Here is the recipe:

6 very firm but ripe plum tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion
4 serrano peppers
1/2 bunch cilantro
3 limes

Basically, you just dice the vegetables, mix, and serve, but I *did* learn some tricks to make it just right. The first trick concerns the tomatoes - there is a *right* way to dice them if you don't want a watery, mushy salsa. You must use a very, very sharp knife, and be careful while cutting not to squash the tomatoes, but you still want a very small dice. The way that works for me is to cut each tomato in half lengthwise, then lay on board cut side down. Take your sharp knife and cut into 2-3 slices by cutting parallel to the board - like you would slice a bagel. Then slice into strips lengthwise, and finally dice the strips. You may need to sharpen your knife, as this only works well with a VERY sharp knife.

Also, wash your cilantro well, but also dry very well before dicing. Water on your cilantro will mean watery sauce.

The limes should be welled rolled before cutting to release the juice, then squeezed well. A hand held juicer works best for this.

Finally, the peppers - I never did find out the name of the variety of pepper we used in Mexico. It was shaped like a large jalapeno, but it was incredibly hot - hot enough to wear gloves just to handle them. The serranos here work OK, but next time I am going to experiment with habaneros. With any pepper, be sure to mince them very, very small. It is no fun getting a big piece of hot pepper in a bite.

Anyway, this sauce should last about a week if kept in a sealed container and refrigerated. It is really, really delicious!