Made this last night and it was really good. Basic recipe from La Posta cookbook, from La Mesilla New Mexico, elaborated and altered by me. This
makes what's known as "New Mexico" style enchilladas.
ENCHILLADA SAUCE:
Take 12 dried red peppers (Pasilla or New Mexico, not those small thai,
japanese or indian ones)
1t salt
2 C water
2T oil
1T flour
Take the dried peppers and rinse them of dirt. Roast them in a dry wok,
turning frequently, over low-med till they smell roasted. Don't burn the
skin too much. Break off the stems and dump out the seeds. Put in a
covered pan with 2c water. Bring to boil then cook over low, covered, for
about 10 minutes. Then pour peppers and its water into blender and
liquify. Add salt to taste.
Heat 2 T oil in a frying pan, add 1T flour and cook stirring frequently,
till flour starts to brown. Pour in pepper mixture and mix. Add water if
necessary to thin.
[Note: This is a very minimal sauce, without cumin or oregano. I find when
you're making from scratch minimal is the way to go to bring out the
flavors.]
CORN TORTILLAS:
2C Quaker Oats Masa Harina mix [corn and lime, available in many
supermarkets]
1 1/2 C warm water
1 t salt
Add salt to dry masa harina. Mix masa with 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 C warm water .
Mix in well and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Form into golf ball sized
balls.
Heat up a cast iron griddle over low-med heat, ungreased.
Put each ball of masa between two pieces of wax paper and press down flat
with a flat-bottomed pan or bowl (or tortilla press if you want to spend
the money). You won't get it as thin as store bought tortillas, but you
want them a little thick. They taste better that way! Pull off the wax
paper off one side. Flip tortilla onto the curled fingers of your other
hand (so that remaining wax paper is now face up), then very carefully peel
off other wax paper. This might take some practise. If one corner doesn't
work, start at the other. (If dough repeatedly sticks, you've used too much
water. If dough repeatedly falls apart, you haven't used enough water.)
Cook each tortilla on the griddle, first on one side , then the other.
Don't let them get crispy.
TO MAKE ENCHILLADAS
the above, plus
some finely chopped onion,
some greated cheese [i use Monterey Jack]
Most recipes say you first fry the tortillas for a few seconds in hot oil
then drain before going on to the next step. You can skip this step
without much loss in flavor if you use home-made tortillas. Experiment.
Dip a tortilla in enchillada sauce. Put it down in a lasagne pan. Sprinkle
grated cheese and onion on it. Put another tortilla that has been dipped
in sauce over the top and repeat to two or three layers thick.
At the end pour remaining sauce over top with remaining cheese and onions.
Bake at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes. Hmmmm. Comments welcome.
jonathan kandell, tucson, arizona