Good Evening Humble Readers...
I was feeling creative today. And inspired. It is Cinqo De Mayo (did I even spell that right?) after all...
My experience with cooking mexican-style food is on the pretty basic level. I can do tacos and burritos, fajitas and a pretty good 'mexican lasagna'. But I wanted to try something a little bit different tonight. So made a mish-mash of things.
First up, I made guacamole. First time ever. I followed a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com (avacado, lemon juice, garlic, onion), but I found it a little bland, so I added a package of guacamole mix that I had picked up just in case. Not ideal, but it gave me something to shoot for next time. Still, it looked pretty good, and tasted okay.
Next, I made enchiladas. Again I used a powdered mix for the enchilada sauce. It's been a while since I had any real enchiladas, so I didn't have a flavour profile to work from, to try to recreate.
I spread a bit of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of my casserole dish. Then I browned up some ground beef, threw in some thinly sliced onion, chili powder, a can of refried beans, and about half a cup of salsa. Then, using flour tortillas and some shredded cheese, I rolled the enchiladas and lined them up in the casserole dish. Then I poured the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkled on some more shredded cheese. Tossed it in the oven at 325 for 20 minutes... turned out pretty yummy for a first time, and without a recipe.
Next time I'll use shredded chicken or pork I think. It might even be a good way to use up the shredded beef left overs from the beef dips I make.
So, Humble Readers, what should I do different next time? Do you have any enchilada secrets you can pass along?
I think it looks perfect as is. When do I get to come to dinner?
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy!
ReplyDeleteTry my best friend's guacamole recipe- it is always devoured within minutes at parties: http://allnaturalwholegrainliving.blogspot.com/2010/05/devourable-guacamole.html
Not sure about enchiladas, though. I tried to make them once and they were awful.
Enchiladas are a staple in my house. Here's what I do:
ReplyDeleteBoil 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast tenders until done. Throw them in a food processor with 1 can of olives, 2 cans green chiles, about 8 ounces of enchilada sauce - or whatever is needed to get to the consistency you are looking for (HAS TO be Rosarita mild sauce. I am a complete sauce-snob. It comes in a can. I usually use one big can, and one medium can.), as well as 8 oz. of colby-jack cheese.
Coat the bottom of a 9x13 pan with sauce. Roll the enchilada mixture into flour tortillas (microwave the tortillas for about 90 seconds so that they are easy to roll and make sure to fold in the sides when you roll them) and place in the pan. Pour enough sauce over them that the entire enchilada has been touched with the sauce. There will be anywhere from 1/4" to 1/2" of sauce in the bottom of the pan when you are done. Sprinkle generously with colby-jack, and cover with foil. Bake at 350* for about 1/2 hour, or until cheese is gooey.
Serve with shredded green leaf lettuce and sour cream.
I know it sounds like a ton of sauce, but it's really not over-kill. You'll have to try them at least once, and see what you think. I get frequent requests for these when we have guests over. And the funny thing is, they are SUPER easy!
When I make enchiladas, I make the sauce from scratch. This involves toasting chilies, roasting garlic and onions, loading everything into the blender, straining it and frying the sauce. It is time consuming and takes 1.5 hours. Great results but a pain in the a$$. If you want to learn how to do it from scratch, get Rick Bayless' book.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rickbayless.com/cookbooks/mexicankitchen.html
I use one of those pre-roasted chickens for the meat inside the enchiladas with red sauce.
I make crab enchiladas with green tomatillo/serrano pepper sauce.
It's awesome.
Mexican is one of MY FAVORITE foods ever. Yours looked excellent girl, great job! I found an awesome sounding recipe for homemade enchilada sauce I'll send it to you once I find it, LOL. xoxo
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious! Perfect Cinco de Mayo recipe. I do have an enchilada recipe, but it has been YEARS since I tried it. If I recall, I baked them almost completely covered in a sauce, instead of pouring a sauce on top. I need to try the recipe again!
ReplyDeleteNo cooking tips from me dear, but it all looks suuuuuper delicious...
ReplyDeleteSo when am I getting THE invitation for dinner?
I wanted Mexican food sooo bad last night, but instead I went straight home and passed out on the couch with Moose. Even missed Bible Study. Oops! Dumb exhausting interview!
ReplyDeleteI use canned sauce for my enchiladas... bad I know! And I love the green chiles in them. mmmm good. Not a fan of guac... I just like fresh avocado.
OMG! I love guacamole! It looks delicious!
ReplyDelete