Saturday, July 20, 2013

Enchiladas



Whenever one is dealing with leftovers, its a little like playing "Chopped".  Look in the fridge and see what needs to be used most urgently. That's your "Mystery basket". Now make something delicious!

So last night the Mystery Basket ingredients were:
  • Leftover chicken
  • Leftover cooked rice
  • Fresh garden tomatoes, various kinds
  • Fresh jalapeno peppers

From our leftover "pantry" we also found: 
  • Some sprouted wheat tortillas
  • A partial jar of crushed tomatoes 
  • Bits and pieces of several onions
  • Some black olives
  • Some refried beans
frozen bell peppers from last years garden

New additions (so that one never runs out of leftovers):
  • Cilantro
  • garlic
  • spices: ancho chili  powder, cumin, smoked paprika and whatever else seems to fit
  • White vinegar
  • olive oil
  • Enchilada sauce from a can for those who prefer it that way

I made two kinds of enchiladas, one to suit each diner and some "Spanish Rice". I put the rice in quotes because I feel fairly certain that this dish is probably an American concoction. That doesn't mean it's bad, just probably not authentic.

Hey! Somebody get that cabbage out of there!
 Actually, was going to try to fit the cabbage into dinner,
but ended up putting it away for another night.

Step one: Prep all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400.
Chop tomatoes, finely mince all the jalapenos, chop the onion, clean and chop the cilantro, chop the chicken if needed.

Make enchilada sauce: Mix together about 1 cup of crushed tomatoes, 2t vinegar, 1/2t chili powder, 1/4t. garlic powder, 1/2t. cumin, and 1/2t smoked paprika to make an enchilada sauce for those who don't like canned sauce.

Step two: Start the rice
Heat a Tablespoon  of olive oil in a large saute pan. Cook about 1 cup of onions in the pan until they begin to caramelize or color a little bit. Throw in about 2 T of minced jalapeno pepper and the garlic. Watch the temp so the garlic does not burn. If you have fresh bell peppers, add them now.  I had frozen peppers so I waited to add them later.

Once the vegetables are softened, add the rice and some spice. I used chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, about 1 teaspoon of each. Toss around and stir fry over low flame so rice doesn't stick.

Step two-and-a half: Assemble the enchiladas
Do this as the onions/veg/rice cooks.
Lay a tortilla on an oven-proof plate.
Smear some sauce on the tortilla.
For the chicken enchilada, I used canned sauce because my diner prefers it that way. Top the sauce with chicken and cover with move sauce. Add chopped onion, raw tomato, diced jalapeno, and cheese. Roll up the enchilada and top with more sauce, more cheese and some black olives. Add bell peppers if you have them. Put some refried beans on the side of the plate and slide the whole plate into the oven.

For my vegetarian version I used the sauce I made in step one. I smeared the tortilla with refried beans and covered them with sauce. I topped that with onions, jalapeno, and chopped cherry tomatoes, (no cheese inside). The I wrapped it up and topped with more sauce, cheese and black olives and slid it into the oven. Cook for 15-20 minutes until everything is hot and bubbly.

This is the vegetarian version, with the rice to the side.

Step 3: Complete the rice
Add about 1/2 cup of the jarred crushed tomatoes. Add salt or soy sauce* to taste. Gently heat everything and watch so it doesn't burn. If using frozen or canned bell peppers, add them now.

Step 4: Final assembly
Bring the plates to the table with some chopped tomatoes and cilantro. Let everyone top their own enchilada. Believe me the fresh raw tomatoes on top are really nice!



* I often use soy sauce instead of salt because the flavor is a little more complex and it mixes in easily.




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