Enchila-di-da one plate at a time
Recently my friend Karen called to say her husband was out target practicing and she asked if I like to come over and have dinner with her.
I replied that I wished I was out shooting, too, but yes, I’d love to go over for dinner.
When I arrived she gave me a tour of her newly planted vegetable garden. Then she picked some Swiss chard to cook and serve with the main dish, which was microwave enchiladas prepared with a sauce she had made with chilies from a ristra hanging outside her kitchen window.
Although I have sometimes made my own red chili or enchilada sauce from dried New Mexico chilies, I have never seen anyone make enchiladas as quickly and easily as she did. She simply layered sauce, a corn tortilla, more sauce, and cheese, repeating the layers a total of three times on a dinner plate.
Then she popped the plate into the microwave, and voila! Within a few minutes, we were eating a beautiful, delicious dinner and enjoying great conversation (if I may say so, myself).
Karen’s enchilada recipe came from a friend of who lives in New Mexico and had once made the dish for her. And so it is with cooking. We eat something good that someone lovingly prepares for us, and in turn, we prepare the recipe for other friends and family.
While watching Karen make the enchiladas, I decided not only to try the recipe myself, but to share it with readers as well. I’ve even included a simple recipe for making the sauce, which can also be used to make red chili, tamales and other Mexican food dishes.
Making the sauce can take about an hour or so until a person gets the hang of handling the cook ed chilies. But if made ahead of time, it can be quickly and easily retrieved for preparation of the microwave enchiladas, which only takes a few minutes.
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Enchilada sauce
12 to 14 dried New Mexico chili pods
2 garlic cloves
Water
Salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Dash of Mexican oregano
Rinse chili pods with tap water. Place in pot, cover with water and add garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until chili pods become soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover pot and let sit for about another 15 minutes.
Next, remove stems and seeds from chili pods and discard. Place pods and garlic cloves in a blender with liquid from the pan and blend very well. Add more liquid if needed to reach the desired consistency. Add salt and spices. Store in glass container in refrigerator for up to two weeks. Makes about two cups.
Microwave enchiladas
Serves four
2 cups enchilada sauce
12 corn tortillas
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
On each of four dinner plates, spread about three tablespoons enchilada sauce in a circle the size of a corn tortilla. Place a corn tortilla on top of the sauce, and then spread more sauce over the tortilla. Sprinkle cheese over the sauce. Repeat two more times. Cook in microwave until cheese is melted. Serve with fresh greens, if desired.
