Red Enchilada Recipe

How exciting! Due to reader demand, I am posting the recipe for enchiladas. Enjoy.


Red Enchiladas
(modified from Jacqueline Higuera McMahan’s California Rancho Cooking, Sasquatch Books, 2001)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken or turkey breast
salt and pepper
1 tsp. oregano
3-1/2 cups Red Chile Sauce (below)
12 flour tortillas
2 cups (about ½ lb.) cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup pitted black olives (optional)

Oil two rectangular baking dishes. I use one 13x9 dish and one 9x9 dish.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and sauté slowly over low heat until softened, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and oregano.

Pour 1 cup of sauce on a dinner plate, then dip both sides of tortilla in the sauce. Place 2-3 tablespoons each of cheddar cheese and cooked meat, and about 1 tablespoon of sautéed onion, down the middle of the tortilla. (I like to roughly divide up my starting quantity of cooked meat into 12 portions so I don’t run out of meat.) Add two olives, if desired. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, adding more sauce to the plate as needed. Pour ½ cup more sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese down a strip in the middle. Decorate with any remaining olives. Cover the pans and refrigerate until ready to bake (I have kept them for 24 hours this way).

When ready to bake, preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Bake for 18 minutes. As soon as they puff up, they are ready. Makes 12 enchiladas.

Quick Red Chile Sauce

1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. cumin
1 can (28 oz.) Las Palmas Red Chile Sauce (not the Enchilada sauce)
2 Tbsp. masa harina
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. red chile powder
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute but do not burn. Add the oregano, cumin and canned red chile sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for ten minutes. Blend the masa harina flour with ½ cup water to make a paste, then whisk in the rest of the water. Add that and the chile powder and brown sugar to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Makes about 4 cups.