In This Recipe
· Tomatillo Salsa
· Easy Enchiladas
· Make Ahead
· Complete the List
· Swaps and Substitutions
These enchiladas are packed to the brim with roasted corn,
zucchini, poblano peppers, spicy Jack cheese and black beans. Cover with
tomatillo salsa, bake, and voila, it is dinner time.
Just twice I was invited to appear as a guest chef at the
Rancho La Puerta that is situated outside Tecate, Mexico. Both times I’ve been
hyper aware of the real pros in the kitchen: The women who prepare
mouthwatering Mexican dishes for clients all year through. Among the staples,
there are always various salsas with a choice of salsa verde consisting of
puréed and roasted tomatillos and chiles tempered with a great measure of heat.
It is actually a very effective and simple procedure and one that I have employed
in my own home kitchen. Those enchiladas are based on the same zesty, savoury
salsa verde.
The filling for these enchiladas is a vibrant combination of
roasted corn, zucchini and poblano peppers beat with Jack cheese, black beans
and a whisper of cumin. Rolled in corn tortillas, drowned in salsa, then baked
to cheesy, hot perfection, you have a ‘make everyone happy’ one-plate dinner,
which can cater for the vegetarian and the carnivore in one swoop. It is not
overly demanding for a week’s supper but it is suitable especially for
weekend’s cooking.
Tomatillos For The Win
Tomatillos which form the basis of the enchilada sauce look similar to small green tomatoes held within a coarse sheath. Tomatillos are somewhat more acidic than tomatoes, which is quite obvious even when they are ripe. Select tomallitos that are of medium in size, hard skin that fits tightly around the vegetable. More simply, more the outer cover can be removed and washed under running water before use. Do not be shocked that the skins of tomatillos feel slightly tacky, though this is as it should be.
Vegetarian Enchiladas Are Quite Easy To Prepare.
In this recipe there are not a lot of steps but the beauty of it is that most of it is done in the oven. Thus, there is no need to sauté, to stir, or otherwise interfere with the process in question. Then, without cutting up them up, you place whole tomatillos, onion, garlic, and poblano peppers on a single sheet pan. After tendering, all the ingredients go into the blender and are whirled to a salsa. Easy!
The vegetables for the filling are only roasted in the
separate sheet with the same process as before and until getting caramelized.
Take that lovely filling and put it into a corn tortilla with beans and cheese,
top it with salsa and more cheese before baking it. Done!
Roast the vegetables for the Salsa ahead of time
As is often with such dishes, it is recommended to
consume it immediately after it has been removed from the oven. To speed up the
process of preparing enchiladas you can prepare the sauce and roast the
vegetables a day or two in advance and then store them in the refrigerator. It
is also possible to prepare and then refrigerate the enchiladas for preparation
for the day that you want to bake them. It may just require a shift from the
refrigerator to a roasted-soup hot oven when the dinner bell is rung.
Even better, prepare a double portion of enchilada
sauce and put half in the freezer – it’ll be good for up to 6 months. Leftovers
are excellent for the next day since you also reheat enchiladas in the
microwave until the cheese is melted.
Round Out the Meal
Since these enchiladas have it all, the whole grain
component from the corn tortillas, protein from the beans and cheese, and
abundance of vegetables, this is a meal on its own. When it comes down to it,
you can knock it out with a basic plate of cucumbers or jicama drizzled in lime
juice and flavored with chili powder or Tajin.
Make sure to set a bottle of Mexican hot sauce next to
them when you serve these out. These vary in terms of the degree of heat that
is offered and they all come with a good hint of vinegar. And I find cholula
and tapatio favorable to my preference. As any food loving patron of Mexican
restaurants will confirm having a bottle of Mexican hot sauce in the fridge is
invaluable.
Swaps and Substitutions
•
In cooked black beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans
or black-eyed peas can be used.
•
Those who don’t mind heat can add a whole jalapeno to
the salsa verde to increase the spiciness of the dish.
•
Substitute the poblano chiles for the filling with 1
red or yellow bell pepper.
•
For the preparation instead of fresh corn use frozen
defrosted corn.
•
If you are having time constraints or simply cannot
locate tomatillos, ready-made enchiladas sauce is good enough for homemade
sauce. In making the products, some companies use artificial colours, hence,
before you purchase the product, always check the label.
•
Although green enchilada sauce is pictured and used
here, if you want to be a team red sauce, you are welcome to use red enchilada
sauce, either homemade or store bought.
•
It is substituted with sharp Cheddar, plain Jack, or a
regular Mexican cheese such as Queso Oaxaca.
•
Make these vegan skipping the cheese on the recipe
altogether. Finally. garnish the cooked enchiladas with different ripe avocado
removed into cubes before taking the meals.
0 Comments