294962 Wed Nov 19 09:58:02 -0800 2003 18 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1619444 Hello all, I am looking for a definite crowd-pleasing enchilada recipe...beef or black bean preferred. I'm throwing a mini-dinner party -- nothing formal, just fun -- and want to impress people who have never seen me cook! Anything? Wed Nov 19 09:58:02 -0800 2003 0 Kendra 1 1619459 Give this a try, it's excellent and very authentically Mexican. **** Carne Deshebrada con Tomatillos (Shredded Beef with Tomatillos) To Cook the Meat 1 3 lb. chuck or seven bone roast, cut from bone in 6 pieces (put the bone in to cook with it, for flavor) water to cover 1 large white onion, coarsely chopped 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with the back of a knife. 4 bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt Place meat in water and boil 10 minutes. Remove foam and discard. Add all ingredients listed above, reduce heat and simmer for 11/2 hours. Allow meat to cool completely, reserve 3 cups of broth and shred meat. _________________________________ To Season and Flavor Shredded Meat (carne deshebrada) 6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped 3 medium white onion, finely chopped 6 small chiles serranos, finely chopped 6 tablespoons cooking oil 4 1/2 cups husked and cooked tomatillos, processed in food processor salt to taste the reserved broth from the meat _____________________ Place cooking oil in hot skillet, add onions and gently sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic, chiles and sauté until onions are clear. Add shredded beef and continue to sauté, browning beef. Add tomatillos and sauté further. Salt mixture lightly and add reserved broth. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary. Taste for seasoning. Use as filling for tacos, enchiladas verdes or burritos. Wed Nov 19 10:35:54 -0800 2003 1619444 0 Cristina 1 1619465 Here's what my family does - it is not hard at all, a little time-consuming but the sauce keeps well if you want to make it ahead of time. If you need to freeze them, freeze the sauce and enchiladas seperately, or they will get mushy. 1 T hot red ground chile 1 T medium hot red ground chile 2 C chicken broth 2 cloves garlic 1 chopped white onion 2 T cooking oil 1 t cumin 1 t salt 3 T flour presoak chile in broth 20 minutes, saute garlic and onion in hot oil, add flour and brown, add broth and other stuff, simmer 20 minutes. If I have a dried chile or two around, I soak them in the broth, seed, and spin in the food processor and add them too. filling - I use chunked up chicken breasts, about four or five. A whole bunch of shredded colby-jack or your favorite cheese another chopped white onion salt Corn tortillas, dip inside-side onto sauce, fill, roll and put in pan seam side down until the pan is full. I don't dip the whole thing because I think it is easier to work with this way. sprinkle top with more onions, cover with sauce, top with the rest of the cheese, bake at 350 until you think it is done. Serve with your usual toppings. I make two sauce recipes to be sure there is plenty of sauce. Wed Nov 19 10:44:57 -0800 2003 1619444 0 Betty 1 1619526 I suggest buying several packages of Black Bean and Chicken enchiladas (2 in a dish) from the frozen section of Trader Joes. Serve those as well as the beef ones you make - I'm sure you'll get some good recipes. Finally, if you're really on a roll, try making some Argentinian Shrimp Enchiladas with Salsa de Chile Verde. Argentinian shrimp (Trader Joes) (or rock shrimp or lobster) Sauce See, http://www.mexican.recipes-to-go.com/El_Charro_Salsa_De_Chile_Verde_Ii__Chunky_Gre.html (for hotter, skip the tomatoes and add a few diced sweet red peppers, jalapenos, maybe a few hotter red peppers) Butter (for softening the corn tortillas) Corn tortillas Queso blanco Garnish (after cooking) with sprigs of cilantro, red peppers or sliced Italian tomatoes, and queso blanco. Same recipe procedure as most enchiladas. Wed Nov 19 14:53:26 -0800 2003 1619444 0 kc girl 1 1619568 This enchilada dish has become one of my signature dishes. I don't put the olives in and put more chocolate in the sauce (and double the sauce and reduce it a bit more than it calls for). **Outstanding**. A very easy mole-like sauce that is incredibly rich and delicious. I serve it with sour cream and thinly sliced red onions pickled in lime juice for a few hours (tip from my mexican cousin-in-law). Link: http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=4965&kw=chicken+enchilada&action=filtersearch&filter=recipe-filter.hts&collection=Recipes&ResultTemplate=recipe-results.hts&keyword=chicken+enchilada&queryType=and Wed Nov 19 16:53:46 -0800 2003 1619444 0 Celeste 1 1619569 Am I the only Mexican in the world that was raised in a strictly flour tortilla enchilada household? Cristina, I dig your Mexican food tips and I was anxiously waiting for your enchilada sauce recipe which you cruelly denied me. As for Kendra, in making your enchiladas (note: I've only ever made them with flour tortillas) you need to make sure you thoroughly soak BOTH sides of the tortilla in sauce, I put the sauce in a pie plate for this part (nothing says "applebee's enchiladas" more than semi-drenched enchiladas), throw it in a well-oiled pan to soften it up, flipping it once or twice (yes, you'll burn your fingers). I then fry them all up, putting them aside as I go, then go through stuffing them all with whatever goodness I decide on that day. Last batch I made was chicken & cheese and bean & cheese. Mi abuela was a big fan of wrapping them in foil and cooking them separate but I prefer a casserole pan (unless you're making dozens and want to freeze some - they freeze very well individually actually). I'd recommend two shortcuts for Kendra if you find the online recipes too daunting: 1)buy canned enchilada sauce for your first time, 2)buy cans of refried beans as stuffing for some w/cheese. Wed Nov 19 16:54:48 -0800 2003 1619444 0 joypirate 2 1619582 TORTILLAS DE HARINA????? Ay mija nunca en mi vida...bueno pues, si tu abuelita las hacía así, quién soy yo para decir que no? The truth is that I only ever make green ones, and with corn tortillas fresh from the tortillería. The original poster asked for beef enchiladas, so I posted that recipe, but I'd be glad to post my recipe for *enchiladas verdes con pollo* if you want. They're the ones that always get the raves at my house. Saludos desde Jalisco. Wed Nov 19 17:47:08 -0800 2003 1619569 0 Cristina 3 1619586 Yes yes please (on your green enchilada recipe)!!! Wed Nov 19 17:52:57 -0800 2003 1619582 0 Celeste 4 1619594 Enchiladas Verdes con Pollo Serves 6 2 whole chicken breasts, skinned and boned 1 kilo (2.2. lbs) tomatillos, husked and washed 12 chiles serrano (or more, if you like things really picante) 2 large cloves garlic, peeled 1 bunch cilantro, washed well and trimmed* salt to taste reserved cooking water from the tomatillos, if needed 1 kilo corn tortillas, as fresh as possible one large white onion, minced 1/2 lb queso cotija, crumbled** cilantro leaves A 13X9 baking pan *pinch off the thickest stems, discard any yellow leaves **reserve 4 TBSP cheese for garnish Poach the chicken breasts until just done—test with your finger. If they're firm but still springy, they're done. Shred or chop the breast meat, cover and reserve. In a large saucepan, simmer the tomatillos, the chiles, and the garlic until the tomatillos begin to burst open. Some will burst faster than others; take them out of the pan with a slotted spoon as they burst and put them in your blender. When all the tomatillos are cooked (some may never burst, use them anyway), put the garlic cloves and the chiles in the blender with them. Blend until well-chopped but not entirely liquid. Add the cilantro to the blender little by little and continue to blend until the salsa is nearly liquefied. Add a small amount of the tomatillo-cooking liquid IF you need some. You will still see good-sized flecks of the green cilantro in the salsa. Add salt to taste. Preheat oven to 350. In a medium frying pan, heat a portion of the salsa. Dip a tortilla in the hot salsa until covered. Place tortilla in baking pan. Sprinkle a small amount of the shredded chicken, some minced onion, and some crumbled cheese onto half the tortilla and fold the top over to cover it. Continue (adding sauce to your frying pan as needed) until all the chicken is used. You will have more than one layer of enchiladas in the pan. Pour the remainder of the sauce over the enchiladas in the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved cheese and the cilantro leaves over the enchiladas and serve. Wed Nov 19 19:06:45 -0800 2003 1619586 0 Cristina 5 1619601 Thanks SO MUCH for sharing that. I too am on eternal quests for great enchilada recipes. I will have to try this soon! Wed Nov 19 19:35:30 -0800 2003 1619594 0 Celeste 6 1619604 Let us know how you like them, okay? Wed Nov 19 19:46:33 -0800 2003 1619601 0 Cristina 7 1619611 Absolutely - I just have to figure out if tomatillos are available fresh here in san francisco in November. It seems like they are more a summer item??? Wed Nov 19 20:18:46 -0800 2003 1619604 0 Celeste 8 1619620 You can probably find them any ol' time of year, especially in California. Of course we get them year round in these parts. Right now the ones that are in the markets are the 'milpitas' variety, the tiny ones~about the size of a small marble~that are grown in amongst the cornstalks in the corn fields (las milpas). And FYI, here in Mexico these are called *tomates*, not tomatillos. A tomato (the red kind, either Rome or round) is called a jitomate. hee-toh-MAH-teh Wed Nov 19 21:10:19 -0800 2003 1619611 0 Cristina 9 1619695 Indeed you can get them in SF year round at just about every grocer and supermarket. But the more common variety are pretty weak now: the outer husks are floppy and far bigger that then fruit inside. But I've seen the milpitas variety (smaller, striped husks, and purple skins) in Mexican stores that look really good. I just bought some the other night but I haven't cooked them yet. Thu Nov 20 13:11:30 -0800 2003 1619620 0 nja 10 1619727 Thanks nja, I will hunt those down at the mexican markets. Thu Nov 20 15:36:16 -0800 2003 1619695 0 celeste 8 1619644 Monterey market had a bunch of them tonight. Thu Nov 20 00:45:34 -0800 2003 1619611 0 wally 5 1619678 Christina, Thanks for the recipe. I've never made green before, only red. I'll give it a shot, but I'm leaving the cilantro out of the cooked sauce (I've got the "cooked cilantro tastes like soap" gene). So do you not fry the tortillas? When I make mine, I fry the tortillas, usually before dipping in the sauce because it's less messy, but if I really want to go all out I will dip in sauce first and then fry. -Nick Thu Nov 20 11:53:27 -0800 2003 1619594 0 nja 6 1619708 OMG I take no responsibility for this dish if you leave the cilantro out. It's not cooked in the sauce, and you can make the enchiladas and NOT bake them. They're fine that way; I often do it. Thu Nov 20 14:02:34 -0800 2003 1619678 0 Cristina 3 1619593 It's true indeed my friend. Flour was all I had until a few years ago. Maybe its something she picked up living in the Midwest US, because everyone else in our Mexican neighborhood did the same. Odd. But yes, by all means, post that recipe. The sauce is the only thing I need. I'm continually searching for the perfect enchilada sauce. Wed Nov 19 18:49:22 -0800 2003 1619582 0 joypirate