Enchiladas, first time

[Dogbert]

I'm cooking enchiladas (Tex-Mex style) tomorrow for the first time. I'm a decent cook and am following a recipe in Matt Jrs book -- is there anything I need to look out for? Will be heating El Lago enchilada corn tortillas in hot corn oil before rolling up with beef chili (another Matt Jr recipe) and mild cheddar for the inside. Covering that with Hatch Tex-Mex sauce and shredded mild cheddar. Heating it all in a foil covered baking dish in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes and then serving. Sound like a plan?

 

[utexas_61]

what is hatch texmex sauce?

 

[Dogbert]

Hatch enchilada sauce is a canned sauce made by the Hatch Chile Company of Deming, NM. This is the Tex-Mex variety. Not as spicy as their regular sauce and more gravy like. See:The Link

 

[DoobieWah]

Put more cheese than you think you need inside and make mine with extra onions.

 

[idigTexas]

We like to mix the Hatch Tex-Mex and Regular sauces, though either is excellent on its own. It's just a personal preference.

 

[Dogbert]

Thanks for the feedback. They came out fine and were absolutely delicious. Yum!

 

[Do I Make You Horny?]

I want to hop on this thread...going to try to make some turkey enchiladas for the 1st time. Not much of a cook but I want to give it a shot.

I want to make them with the green sauce from scatch. So any suggestions for that would be greatly appreciated. I'm thinking tomatillos, serranos, garlic, and cilantro. Anything else?

Any special seasoning for the meat since it's already been cooked?

 

[Dogbert]

I absolutely love the green sauce at Julio's here in Austin. I've tried, but have never some close to making a green sauce anywhere near as good. Would love to know the secret.

 

[hrhorn]

My green sauce includes:
roasted tomatillos (1lb)
roasted serranos (2)
roasted garlic (as desired)
lime juice (1)
cumin (1/4 of teasp.)
mexican oregano (1/4 of teasp.)
fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
opt. a shot of good silver tequila
blend, then bring to a simmer

 

[BNB]

I got this Tex-Mex cookbook for Christmas.
Here is The Old Borunda Cafe's recipe. The original cafe was located in Marfa and was James Deans favorite restaurant when he was filming "Giant".

5 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped roasted green chiles
5 tomatillos, cooked and pureed
2 teaspoons minced onion
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs of water

Combine all except the cornstarch in larch pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to simmer for 10 min. Add the cornstarch a stir well. Cook for 5-10 more min, until well thickened.

 

[Do I Make You Horny?]

Well I tried it out and turned out pretty well for the 1st time. Verde sauce recipe was pretty much the same as hrhorns except I forgot the garlic. It still came out tangy and tasty.

The only trouble I had was the flash frying of the toritllas. I was using tongs and the tortillas would get ripped up pretty easily. Also it seemed like I either had too much oil or not enough in the pan. Any tips?

 

[12thStudStan]

I would suggest using a small spatula instead of tongs to help avoid tearing the tortillas. I use a small amount ( 2-3 Tbs?) of oil on medium heat to prepare the tortillas and when that oil runs dry I add a little more. The idea is to make the tortilla just supple enough to roll up where it won't split and that doesn't take very long. It is easy to overcook them to the point where they fall apart. I finish them uncovered in the oven, but that is a personal preference thing.

 

[jmrob93]

I like tangy verde sauce vs sour-- I cheat and buy herdez green taco sauce and canned green chilis--then add lime juice and lemonade powder(not much- to taste) and mash up an avacado to make it a little creamy-- I know its sacriligious--but they taste like the ones I used to get it El Paso across from work--I just tinkered until I matched the taste

HEB has shredded chicken that you can cook down with onions and tomatoes and use corn tortillas--- good stuff

wrap corn tortillas in a wet paper towel to microwave so they don't break or dry out--- or warm up in a pan

This place I used to go to made enchiladas on a griddle-- they warmed up the tortillas, then dupped them in the red sauce, added cheese then rolled them--put them on the griddle them covered with a skillet lid--great red enchiladas

 

[TimHorn]

For heating up tortillas in oil: new method.
Now I take my tortilla warmer (thick plastic with fitted lid) and lightly oil the bottom and lay in 1st tortilla. Using a pastry brush, I apply a light coat of oil on one side laying it on the next one (and so forth) then heat in the microwave. Sometimes I will flip the stack in the holder during 1/2 way so the bottom ones don't overheat. This works great for rehydrating the tortillas without using an excess of oil and making a big mess on the stovetop.

 

[flaco]

A trick I use is to dip the tortillas in the sauce before wrapping them. It keeps any edges from getting crispy.

 

[Reborn_Horn]

I agree with the above poster.....instead of dipping in oil, dip the corn tortillas in the red or green sauce you've prepared. Softens and keeps them from hardening during cooking.

 

[DRAG69]

Here is the best enchilada tip I ever got.
Dipping the tortillas in the sauce is extremely messy.

Take a sheet pan and line with foil.
I use two sheet pans which will hold a total of 12 tortillas.
Spray the corn tortillas with vegetable oil cooking spray on both sides.
Heat the tortillas in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes.
They will be perfectly plyable at this point so make sure your filling is ready to go.

Here is a recipe for delicious chicken enchiladas.

I do not have the exact quantities of each item but the real cooks out there will wing it with no problem.

In a large sauce pan put the following ingredients....

2 tbsp of oil (veg or olive)
Chopped onion (wing it)
Saute until onion is soft.

Add some chopped garlic (wing it)
Do not cook the garlic too long because when it begins to brown it gets bitter (but you knew that)

Add some very finely chopped chicken
(I prefer white meat so I use boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Saute for just a few more minutes.

Now add a large can of tomato sauce.
In this sauce add ground cumin (at least 2 tablespoons)
And chilli powder.
You can also add some cayenne if you like it hot.

Simmer for at least 15 to 20 minutes until chicken is cooked.

Taste the sauce (after the chicken is cooked for obvious reasons).
Season with more cumin and chilli powder to taste.

Pour the mixture through a strainer seperating the sauce from the cooked chicken.

Mix the cooked chicken in a bowl with whatever grated cheese you prefer. The cheese will act as a binder with the chicken.

Prepare the tortillas as mentioned above.
Pour some of the sauce into the baking dish to cover the bottom.

Spoon the chicken mixture onto each tortilla and roll.
Place rolled tortillas into the baking dish.
Pour the rest of the sauce on top of rolled tortillas and add more grated cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until heated completely and the cheese has melted.

I like to garnish with sliced avocado and chopped lettuce and tomato.

Enjoy