Isn’t it so awkward when you can’t understand what people are saying due to the language barrier? I was at the Mexican grocery store yesterday picking up stuff to make this and when I went to go get rung up, the guy kept saying something to me to which I responded with about a hundred I’m Sorry’s and What’s. I was getting all flabbergasted and sweaty because gosh it’s so embarrassing when you don’t know what they’re saying and it brought back horrific memories of when I was still in college and interviewing an international student and when she asked me a question I could not for the life of me understand, even after being repeated six times, to which I eventually just blurted out, “That’s a really weird question,” just so we could move on. After that, I buried myself under a rock and didn’t come out till yesterday.
I am not ashamed of these enchiladas though. Pretty easy to make using whatever leftover meat you have laying around and they’re so ooey gooey and delicious, with an amped-up enchilada sauce. I think if you add enough heavy cream and butter to things it guarantees a win, no? I had some frozen jamón del paÃs from the last time I made it so I just used that but shredded rotisserie chicken or beef would be good too. The toppings you serve with enchiladas can make or break it in my opinion so I’ve listed a few ideas at the bottom of the recipe.
Here’s some fun music to get you going on this weirdly awkward Tuesday. This is the stuff I listen to when I work out– gritty and awesome, Deadmau5 smacks me in the ass and tells me to keep going.
Tuesday enchiladas
Makes 6 enchiladas
Enchilada sauce:Â
1 – 28 ounce can mild red enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons good chili powder (I use Urban Accents Rio Grande Chili Blend— it’s awesome)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
S + P
Enchilada filling:
4 cups shredded meat (I used frozen leftover jamón del paÃs but you could use rotisserie chicken, turkey, pulled pork, beef…the options are limitless)
3 cups enchilada sauce mixture
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup cold water
6 whole wheat tortillas
12 ounces Mexican quesadilla cheese, shredded (If you can’t find this you can substitute in another melty cheese like chihuahua or Monterey Jack)
Fun toppings and accents:Â
Mexican crema
Lime wedges
Sliced radishes
Shredded lettuce
Avocado slices
Cholula hot sauce
// In a medium-sized bowl, combine the enchilada sauce, heavy cream, melted butter, chili powder, sugar, and s + p. Measure out 3 cups of this mixture and put into a medium-sized sauce pot. Put the remaining sauce to the side.
Add the shredded meat to the enchilada sauce in the pot and mix together. Turn the heat on and let it come to a gentle simmer, cooking for about 20 minutes. Combine the corn starch and water to make a slurry and slowly incorporate to the enchilada sauce, whisking and letting it come up to a slight simmer again until it thickens, just a couple minutes. Take off the heat and cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Grab an 8 x 11″ baking dish and spread with a little bit of the remaining enchilada sauce you had set aside earlier, swirling the pan so the entire bottom is coated.
Start filling your enchiladas by putting a small amount of the meat and sauce onto the tortilla and then topping with shredded cheese before rolling up and putting in the pan. After you’ve rolled all of them, pour any remaining meat sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the rest of the shredded cheese. Take a sheet of aluminum foil and spray with oil and cover the enchiladas. Bake in the middle grate of the oven for 45 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. Dish these up with lots of Mexican crema, lime wedges, hot sauce, and crunchy fresh things like radishes and shredded lettuce. Good stuff.
Wow, how did you get such a great picture of an enchilada? Mine always turn out to be one huge, delicious mess. 🙂 And these sound great, of course!
Hey Eileen! Gosh I’m just as bewildered as you! I thought for sure these pictures would turn out horrible because as I lifted the enchilada out of the pan it sorta came apart, mostly due to the fact that I waited only minutes after it was out of the oven to plate– my own fault really, I’m so dang impatient. More importantly though, they taste good, and that’s what matters!
These look killer! Melted cheese is definitely a wonder in my world.
Theresa