Enchiladas prepared with mole sauce and Mexican asadero cheese, also called queso blanco, are as exotic as they are tasty. This is also a great way to utilize leftover turkey. Enchiladas are not difficult to prepare—in fact they are quite easy. The trick is to have everything organized and ready to go before assembling the enchiladas.
Treating corn with lime to remove the tough skins was probably a technique the early Meso-American cultures passed on to the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico. This corn, called posole, is the basis of this dish of the same name. A traditional dish during the holiday season, it is considered to bring good luck through the year if eaten on New Year’s Eve. Any cubed pork will be fine in this recipe but I like to use the chops so I can flavor the stew with the bones. Posole is served both with the chile in the stew and also with the sauce on the side. I serve it with some chile sauce in the stew and additional sauce on the side for guests to at their own discretion. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.
8 ounces dry posole
1 ½ pounds thick-cut pork chops, fat removed, cubed, bones reserved
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (if needed)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart pork or chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican preferred
3 cups Chile Colorado Sauce (recipe above)
Salt to taste
Put the posole in a large pot and cover with water so that there is a couple inches of water above the posole. Soak the posole overnight.
Bring the pot with the posole to a boil, add the pork bones, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Add 3 cups of the broth to the pot.
In a heavy skillet, brown the pork, adding a little oil if necessary. Add the pork and the bones to the posole. Saute the onions and garlic in the same pan until they start to brown, remove and add to the posole. Pour the remainder of the broth into the skillet, raise the heat, deglaze the pan and add to the posole. Season with the oregano and salt to taste.
Add some of the chile sauce to the posole and simmer until the corn starts to “pop” and the meat is very tender, to the point of falling apart.
Remove the bones and serve in bowls accompanied by warm flour tortillas and the remaining chile sauce on the side.
The chiles that are traditionally used for this sauce are the ones pulled off the ristras or strings of dried chiles. Ristras are not just used for decoration–this is one method of sun drying or preserving the fall chile crop for use throughout the year. Use this sauce in a number of dishes, as a topping for enchiladas and tacos, as a basis for stews like posole, or any recipe that calls for a red sauce.
10 to 12 dried red New Mexican chiles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 to 3 cups beef broth (optional), or water
1 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican preferred
Pinch of ground cumin
Salt to taste
Arrange the chile pods on a baking pan and place in a 250-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chiles become very aromatic, being careful not to let them burn. Remove the stems and seeds and place the pods into a bowl.
Cover the chiles with very hot water and allow them to steep for 15 to 20 minutes to soften. Drain the chiles and discard the water.
In a heavy saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Add the chiles and a couple cups of water or broth and simmer for 10 minutes.
Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture, if desired, for a smoother sauce. If the sauce is too thin, place it back on the stove and simmer until it is reduced to the desired consistency, or if too thick, add more water or broth.
Adjust the seasonings and serve.
The Pink Adobe Restaurant offers up this delicious dessert.
½ pound stale French bread
1 cup milk
1/4 pound butter, melted
½ cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pinon nuts
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 ounces evaporated milk
8 1/4 ounces of crushed pineapple with juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Break the bread into bite-sized pieces, and soak it in the milk Squeeze the bread with your fingers to eliminate the excess milk and discard the milk.
Set the bread in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix gently but thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into an 8 inch by 12 inch buttered baking pan. Bake for one hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with the Tequila Sauce.
In New Mexico, enchiladas can be rolled or flat and stacked, made with yellow or blue corn tortillas, filled with any number of ingredients, and smothered in chile sauce. After you decide to order enchiladas here, there are still decisions to be made. First, blue or regular referring to the type of tortilla, rolled or stacked, red or green chile sauce and, if you can’t decide and want both sauces, order “Christmas.” And finally you may order them with a fried egg on top, which is true New Mexican fare.
2 chicken breasts
2 small onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole cloves
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
Vegetable oil for frying
8 corn tortillas
2 cups Green Chile Sauce
Chopped fresh lettuce and tomatoes, and sour cream for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large pot, cover the chicken, ½ of the onions, garlic, and cloves with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the chicken. Strain and reserve the broth for use in the sauce. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones, and shred.
To assemble: Place a little of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. To soften the tortillas, pour the oil in a pan to a depth of about a 1/4-inch and heat until hot enough so that a drop of water in the oil will sputter. Dip a tortilla briefly in hot oil to soften, remove and drain. Next dip the tortilla in the sauce and place on the baking pan. Place some of the chicken down the center of the tortilla, top with some chopped onions, sour cream, olives, and cheese over the chicken, and roll. Ending with the flap side down in the pan.
Pour additional sauce over the enchiladas and bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Garnish with the lettuce and tomatoes, and top with a dollop of sour cream.
