Enchiladas Recipe
A note about the tortillas. Sturdy yellow corn tortillas hold up better in these enchiladas than more delicate white corn tortillas.
The corn tortillas must be softened before they are rolled and baked in the casserole.
Frying them gently in a little oil greatly enhances the flavor of the tortillas. Do not use flour tortillas for this recipe.
If you don’t have green chiles, you can substitute the chiles with a cup of your favorite prepared salsa (cooked, do not use salsa made with fresh, uncooked tomatoes).

INGREDIENTS

*2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil
*12 corn tortillas
*1/2 onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
*1 clove of garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
*14-ounce can (about 1 3/4 cup) crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted)
*3/4 cup of chopped cooked green chiles (about a 4-ounce can), or 1/3 cup chopped pickled jalapeños (more or less to taste,
depending on the heat of the chiles and how spicy you want your enchiladas).
*1/2 cup water
*1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
*1 lb (4 cups) of jack cheese, mild cheddar , or a mix, grated
*A handful of cilantro
*1 cup of sour cream
*Half a head of iceberg lettuce

Special equipment:
*9×13-inch (3-quart) casserole dish

Method
1). Preheat oven to 350° F.

2). Lightly fry the tortillas to soften: In a large frying pan at medium-high heat add a tablespoon of oil.
When the oil is shimmering and hot (not yet smoking), add a corn tortilla to the pan.
Cook it for several seconds, use a metal spatula to turn it over, and cook it for few seconds more.

You can soften all of the tortillas this way, one at a time, or you can use my mom’s trick of doubling and tripling up the tortillas to absorb excess fat.
My mother places another tortilla either on top of the tortilla in the pan (and then flips both tortillas),
or beneath it. In either case the tortillas is picking up some of the excess fat from the first tortilla.
You can continue “stacking” tortillas, removing the ones that have bubbled, softened and lightly browned,while adding more oil as needed to the pan.
This way you can brown and soften the tortillas without using a lot of fat.
It’s important to pre-cook the tortillas because not only does cooking them help soften them for rolling,
cooking them in a little fat helps develop the flavor of the tortillas.
As the tortillas brown a little, remove them to a plate.

3). Make the enchilada sauce: Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and cook for 5-6 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.
Add the crushed tomatoes. Add the green chiles. Add 1/2 cup of water. Add the oregano. Bring to a simmer and taste.
If the sauce tastes too vinegary, add half a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce. Remove from heat.

4). Roll up the tortillas with cheese: Put a little olive oil on the bottom of a 3-quart (9×13) casserole pan.
Take a tortilla, cover 2/3 of it lightly with the shredded cheese, then roll up the tortilla and place it in the casserole pan.
Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled.

5). Add sauce and cheese: Add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the casserole pan.
Make sure the rolled up tortillas are covered with the sauce. If not, add a little water to thin the sauce to spread it more evenly over the tortillas.
Cover the whole thing with the rest of the grated cheese.

6). Bake: Put the casserole in the 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Serve with sliced iceberg lettuce that has been dressed only with vinegar and salt.
Garnish enchiladas with cilantro and sour cream.

Perfectly delicious. Crunchy, yet fluffy, exterior. Delicate, cheesy and tender chile interior.
So.Good. And not too much work. Yes, they do require some love…but they’ll pay you back double.
Plus, the special chile relleno sauce I made as an accompaniment will likely have you wanting to lick your plate to get every last drop.
Okay, maybe that’s just me.

INGREDIENTS

Chiles Rellenos

• 5-6 medium-to-large Anaheim chile peppers unpeeled, stems attached
• cup cheddar cheese grated
• 1 cup Monterrey jack cheese grated
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup for coating
• 2 eggs separated
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp olive oil plus enough to coat deep skillet to approx. 1/4-inch
• 1/2 vegetable/canola oil enough to coat deep skillet to approx. 1/4-inch

Chile Relleno Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2/3 medium onion chopped
• 3 garlic cloves smashed
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 28- oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken stock preferably homemade
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf

INSTRUCTIONS
1). There are several ways to peel a chile pepper:
(a) place about six inches beneath the broiler on a baking sheet,
(b) place on an outdoor grill or
(c) place on top of a gas stove (my method — though be sure to have ventilation ‘cuz it can get a bit smoky). Any way you choose,
use tongs to turn the chile peppers as they darken. The idea is to burn as much of the peel/skin as possible. Keep a close eye on
the chiles as they may go from blistered to burnt very quickly.

2). Once the skin is fully charred, place the hot chiles into a Ziploc bag and seal. Set aside for several minutes.
The steam within the bag will help with removal of the skin.

3). Once the chiles are cool enough to touch, carefully make one slit up the side of each chile,
keeping the stem intact. Gently remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers. Gently stuff each chile with a combination of grated
cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese until you’re just able to close at the slit comfortably. If the chile is refusing to stay together,
you can try using a toothpick, but I found it unnecessary.

4). Whip the egg whites by hand or with an electric mixer until stiff. Set aside. Combine milk, 1/2 cup flour, egg yolks, baking powder,
baking soda, kosher salt and 1/2 tsp. olive oil in a deep large bowl. Gently fold in the egg whites until just mixed.

5). Pour equal amounts olive oil and vegetable/canola oil to reach 1/4-inch depth in a large, deep skillet. Heat oil to medium-high.

6). In a shallow bowl, spread out 1/4 cup flour. Roll each stuffed chile in the flour and gently shake off all excess flour. Dip chile into batter,
holding the chile by its stem. Cover the chile as much as possible with the batter up to the stem, but leave the stem uncovered.
The stem will be your holding/flipping device. Quickly transfer to hot skillet. Cook each chile until lightly browned on both sides.
Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels until ready to serve. Serve quickly if possible, and with some chile relleno sauce (see below for recipe).

7). Heat oil in medium-large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until sweating, about 5-8 minutes. Add kosher salt, pepper and garlic and
cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8). Add flour, tomatoes and oregano and cook until thickened, about 5-8 minutes.

9). Add stock and bay leaf and bring to a boiling, cooking for about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard.

10). Using a stick blender, blender or food processor, puree the sauce until smooth.
Serve with chiles rellenos.

Chilaquiles. Chee-lah-KEE-less! I mentioned I wanted to make chilaquiles to a Mexican friend the other day and you should have see the smile and look of rapture that came over his face.This is true Mexican comfort food, what your mom made you for breakfast when she had some stale tortillas that needed to get used up.

Chilaquiles are basically corn tortilla pieces that are fried, cooked in salsa, and sprinkled with cheese. They are often served for breakfast with eggs and a side of beans or nopalitos.My mother grew up with her mother making them with green chile tomato salsa and grated longhorn cheese, a Tex Mex version.

Chilaquiles recipe

It will help with the frying if your tortillas are a little dry.
If they are fresh, cut them first, put them in a warm oven for a few minutes first to dry them out a bit,
then proceed.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 dozen corn tortillas, preferably stale, or left out overnight to dry out a bit, quartered or cut into 6 wedges
• Corn oil
• Salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups red chile sauce or salsa verde*
• A few sprigs of epazote (optional)

Garnishes

• Cotija cheese or queso fresco
• Crema Mexicana or creme fraiche
• Cilantro, chopped
• Chopped red onion
• Avocado, sliced or roughly chopped