Cheese Enchiladas for A Cinco De Mayo Recipe That Isn’t Tacos!
Let’s use Cinco de Mayo as a reason to learn to make enchiladas for a celebratory dish that isn’t tacos! There's a few tips and tricks to making enchiladas, and when done right, they're oh, so good. My Tía Odilia knows how to make them right, and I'm grateful that we've made these together on many occasions. Her method includes steps to ensure that the tortillas don't crack when rolled, and that the baked enchiladas don't turn into a soggy mess. She begins with store bought corn tortillas that are sturdy enough to hold up to a quick fry that is followed by a dip in the enchilada sauce. Quickly frying the tortillas makes them pliable and the oil creates a barrier so that they don't soak up too much enchilada sauce creating a soggy enchilada. You'll only add 12 enchiladas to a 9x13 baking dish even though it may appear you can add more. Over filling a baking dish with enchiladas makes them difficult to serve intact. When baking enchiladas, you'll only need to bake them long enough to melt the cheese and warm them through. You’ll get that velvety texture of melted American cheese, and be sure not to overtake them causing the cheese to brown on top. After baking them, be patient and let them sit a few minutes to firm up before serving. Armed with these tips, you’re ready to make your best batch of enchiladas. You can find more recipes like this in my cookbook, My South Texas Kitchen!
How To Set Up To Cook Cheese Enchiladas
Create an assembly line in the order of each step to efficiently assemble your enchiladas.
Stack of corn tortillas
10-inch skillet with 1 1/2 cup of oil and tongs, on medium-high heat.
10-inch skillet with enchilada sauce on low heat, and a wide spatula.
A plate for filling and rolling the enchiladas.
grated cheese and sliced onions for the filling.
Place 8 enchiladas along the length of a 9x13 inch dish with 4 enchiladas (2 side by side) in the narrow space beside the row of 8 enchiladas.
Cheese Enchilada
Enchiladas de queso
Yvette Zuniga Jemison
YDelicacies.com
Recipe from My South Texas Kitchen cookbook
Servings: 6
Make ahead: The enchilada sauce can be refrigerate up to 3 days ahead or frozen up to 2 months. Thaw and warm the enchilada sauce to assemble enchiladas. How to set up to cook cheese enchiladas.
ENCHILADA SAUCE
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 ¼ cups water
ENCHILADA ASSEMBLY
12 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
enchilada sauce (prepared according to recipe)
6 cups American cheese, grated and divided
(4 cups for filling+ 2 cups for topping)
1 onion, thinly sliced
Special equipment: two 10-inch skillets, tongs, spatula and a 9x13-inch baking dish
ENCHILADA SAUCE
1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chili powder and cook until it comes to a simmer and is fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and salt and whisk until smooth and lump free. Cook until the flour is simmering 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the tomato sauce and water, while whisking, just until combined. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
ENCHILADA ASSEMBLY
1. Set up an assembly line with the ingredients, utensils and dishes as shown in the photo above. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until the oil sizzles and bubbles when the edge of a tortilla touches the oil. Warm the enchilada sauce in the skillet over low heat to keep the sauce warm, but not bubbling.
3. Working with one tortilla at a time, submerge the tortilla in the oil until it softens and lightly blisters on the surface, 5-10 seconds. You do not want the tortilla in the oil long enough to crisp or brown. With the tongs, lift the tortilla out of the oil, and let the excess oil drip back into the skillet. Set the tortilla flat on top of the enchilada sauce.
4. Using a large spatula, submerge the tortilla into the sauce. Immediately slide the spatula under the tortilla and lift out of the sauce. Let the excess sauce drip back into the skillet. Set the coated tortilla on the plate.
5. Spread 3 tablespoons of the grated cheese and a couple of slices of onions down the center of the tortilla. Fold one side over the cheese, and continue to roll the enchilada onto itself. Place seam side down in the baking dish and repeat with the remaining tortillas and cheese. Place 8 enchiladas along the length of the dish with 4 enchiladas (2 side by side) in the narrow space beside the row of 8 enchiladas. It may appear that you can add more enchiladas in the pan, but overcrowding them can them difficult to serve intact.
6. Spoon out about 1 cup of enchilada sauce from the skillet and drizzle evenly on top of the rolled enchiladas. Spread 2 cups of grated cheese evenly on top of the enchiladas. Add a few sliced onions on top of the cheese
7. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese has melted and the edges of the dish are bubbling, about 20 minutes. Do not bake until the cheese on top is brown. Let sit, 10 minutes before serving.
You can find more recipes like this in my cookbook, My South Texas Kitchen!
