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Enchiladas

This is a recipe that started from enchiladas made by our friend Margie Marquez in the early 80's. You can use the oil from frying the tortillas to make french fries too, if you like that!

Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Cuisine:
Difficulty: Intermediate
Cooking Temp: 375  F
Servings: 4
The Tortillas and Sauce
  • 1 package Thick Corn Tortillas (The kind we like is 8 per package, the recipe works with 10 also.)
  • 1 Can Enchilada Sauce (We use Hatch brand, "medium". The spicyness can vary. Start with mild if you are concerned.)
  • 1 cup Shredded Cheese (to taste)
    • Filling
  • 1 small Onion (diced)
  • 1 Can Organic refried beans (pinto or black beans. Can be seasoned or plain, to taste.)
  • 1/2 Tsp Seasoning (We use Penzy's Southwest blend, or Chilli 3000. If the beans are already seasoned you don't need it.)
  • 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste (Optional, but adds richness)
  • 1 Splash Red wine (Optional, adds some flavor)
  • 1 Poblando Chile or Bell Pepper (Optional, any pepper you like is ok)
Instructions
    Make the filling
  1. 1
    Saute the onions (and optional peppers)
    • Dice the onion.
    • Saute onion in a small pot until translucent.
    • If you are using a chile or bell pepper, also saute here.
  2. 2
  3. 3
    Add the beans
    • If you are using the seasoning, add it to the onions now and saute for 1 minute
    • Add the entire can of refriend beans.  Stir well.  
    • Add the tomato paste and red wine (optional).  Stir in well.
    • Turn off or remove from heat.  You don't want the filling too hot, you are going to handle it soon.
    You can fill with whatever you want. We often use the refriend black beans. You could use shredded chicken or pork, or even fish. Just make sure it's not too wet.
    4. Prepare the tortillas
  4. 4
    Set up your station
    • This is the step that makes the enchiladas taste so good.  You want to cook the tortillas, but make sure they are flexible enough to wrap the filling in.
    • Heat your oil in a wok or frying pan.  Use peanut oil or something with a high smoke point.  If you have one of those fancy thermometers, when it hits 375°F, that's pretty good.  You want the tortilla to sizzle as soon as it's dropped in.  If the oil is too cold, they will be soggy and greasy.
    • Set up your station so you can fry and apply the sauce to the tortillas pretty quickly.
    • Put a light layer of the enchilada sauce at the bottom of the baking dish to start with.  
  5. 5
    Fry and Sauce the Tortillas
    • Take a tortilla and fry on both sides for about 30 seconds per side (you will learn what feels right).  You don't want them to get too stiff - no browning should happen.
    • Remove the tortilla, drain into the side of the frying pan or wok to remove excess oil. 
    • Place tortilla in the baking dish.  
    • Take one tablespoon of enchilada sauce and paint the top layer of the tortilla - all the way to the edge.  This keeps the tortilla soft enough to roll.
    • Continue frying and saucing the tortillas until all are cooked.  You can make two stacks of tortillas and alternate as you take them out of the fryer.
    • When you are finished, turn off the oil.  Use it to make something else yummy, like fried potatoes.  We usually use a paper towel to reduce the amount of oil left in the pan and use the wok to stir-fry the veggies for the meal (broccolini and kale, for example). 
    • You should still have 2/3 of a can of enchilada sauce left.
    • Let the tortillas cool for no more than 5 minutes.  Too long and the all stick together.
    6. Assemble the Enchiladas and Bake
  6. 6
    Get Ready to Roll
    • At this stage, your filling and the tortillas should be cool enough to handle.
    • Stack the tortillas into one pile so you can assemble the enchiladas into the other half of the baking pan.
  7. 7
    Fill and place
    • Take a tortilla and place a heaping tablespoon (or so) of filling along the middle.
    • Roll into, well, an enchilada shape.
    • Don't worry if you don't put enough filling in, there's a fix for that later!
    • Place the rolled enchiladas into the other side of the baking pan.  Continue on until you have done half.
    • When you get to the halfway point, put the remaining stack of tortillas on the ones you've already made, then you can work on filling and rolling on the empty side.
    • When you are done, it will look something like this:
    • Take any excess filling and just spread it on top.  This works particularly well with bean fillings. In the picture above, the enchiladas on the bottom have had extra filling spread on them.
    • You've done the hard part!
  8. 8
    Get Saucy
    • Take the remaining sauce and pour it over the rolled enchiladas.  Use a spoon to even it out, making sure all the corn tortillas get some sauce on them.
    • Sprinkle shredded cheese to taste over the top.
    One easy twist is to use molé sauce instead of enchilda sauce. In these actual pictures, there is some mole negro mixed into the sauce to deepen the flavor.
  9. 9
    Bake
    • Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling nicely and the cheese is melted.
    • Remove and let stand for 5 minutes before plating. 
    • Enjoy with hot sauce of your choice!
Keywords: mexican, vegetarian, beans
Read it online: https://recipes.chandhok.net/recipe/enchiladas/