Monday, May 12, 2014

Cheesy Green Chile Enchiladas

I'm still working on this cheesy green chile enchilada recipe.  In New Mexico, we say, "chile" instead of "chili".  They grow really hot chile here, but I prefer the milder varieties.

We recently traveled to see friends and family in California.  I used different ingredients each time I made this recipe, but it was still awesome!  I will add pictures after the next time I make it.

Sauce:
Make a basic white sauce and increase the quantity based on how many people you are serving.  This recipes serves 4-6 people with beans and/or rice on the side:
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Flour
Mix and cook in fry pan until bubbling.
Slowly stir in  4 cups or more of either vegetable stock, chicken stock or milk.  If you use milk, you may want to add a little salt.  Continue stirring and cook on medium heat until the sauce thickens.  If it's too thick, thin it with more milk, stock or water.  You don't want it too thick or you can't spread it over the enchiladas.
Add:
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 package of softened cream cheese
1-2 cups chopped green chile (canned or fresh).
Add spices and cream cheese and mix until cheese is melted and everything is blended in.  Add  un-drained green chile.

Putting it all together 'Family Style':
Spread some sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Lay corn tortillas on top of the sauce.  Crumble Mexican Queso Fresco cheese on top.  Add another layer of corn tortillas, cheese and more corn tortillas.  Spread the rest of the sauce on top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.  The sauce will be thick and bubbly and the cheese will be melted inside the enchiladas.

If you want, you can roll the queso fresco in the corn tortilla, lay them next to each other in a pan and top with sauce.

You can also save some sauce and use on top of microwave enchiladas or use it as a chip dip!

As you can see, this is a very versatile recipe.  Make it your own!