Enchiladas, Beans, and Rice

Right now, my daughter Bunny is visiting from Canada.  Because Texas is warm and Canada is not.  She likes Yoga,  ballet, and cooking.  She also likes books and has a great book review blog.  Notice her whimsical side.

All that aside.  Texans living in Canada can be pretty certain that the Canadian take on Tex Mex is going to disappoint.

So, outliers and non-Texans (those who live North of the Nueces (pron. “new-aces”) River, I’m going to pass my super secret recipes on to you.  I spent 28 years South of the Nueces and, let me tell ya’, this gal knows how to make Tex Mex.  I learned from folks who own restaurants, from firemen born and raised in South Texas and from folks who’ve been cooking this way their whole life.

First things first.  Don’t even dream of buying a can of enchilada sauce.   I see this in recipes all the time.  I’m going to teach you how to make really great enchilada sauce.

Real Enchilada Sauce

2 Cups of Beef broth (Swanson’s, Pacific, etc.)
3 T. Corn Starch
2-3 T. Chili Powder (depends on how spicy ya’ like it – I like mine HOT)
1-2 t. Cumin Powder
2 t. garlic powder (or fresh garlic)
A dash of Chipotle powder (for more heat)
1 chopped Jalapeno  (optional)

In a saucepan on the stove, heat your broth and add all of the spices.  Once it is heated, slowly mix some of the broth with the corn starch until it forms a paste.  Then add the paste to the broth on the stove.  Cook until the corn starch thickens the sauce.  Let cool.

Enchiladas

1 dozen corn tortillas
2 C. Grated Cheddar Cheese (the kind in a bag is fine)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

You will need to soften your corn tortillas in order to stuff and roll them.  I do this by putting them 4 at a time on a plate in the microwave and then covering them with another plate.  I nuke them for 40-45 seconds.  My daughter prefers to dip hers in the hot enchilada sauce.  Either of these methods works well.

Take 1 corn tortilla, fill it with cheese and roll it up quickly.  Turn it rolled side down and put it at one end of a 9 x 13 pan.  Continue in the same manner until your pan is filled with enchiladas.  I do mine 8 across and then 4 side by side (see placement in the above picture).

Put the enchiladas uncovered into the hot oven for 8-10 minutes.  Just enough for the the tortillas to dry slightly.  Pull  the pan out of the oven and evenly pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas.  Top with lots and lots of cheese.  If you want onions, add them before you add the cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  You will know they are perfectly done when you hear that sizzling, bubbling sound.  If you overcook them, they will be mushy; if you undercook them, they will be chewy.  Listen for that bubbly, sizzling sound.

I don’t always want cheese enchiladas, so sometimes I change ‘em up a bit.  I fill them with beans and cheese, or chicken and cheese, etc.  Below are a few options.

OPTIONAL STEP:  When making enchiladas, adding in some of the optional ingredients will alter the amount of cheese you add to your enchilada.  With any of the optional ingredients, add 1-2 T. of your desired ingredient AND 1 T. grated cheese.