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| The finished dish. |
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| The ingredients |
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| Making the enchiladas |
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| Preparing to bake |
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| Your just reward! |
To me, there
are few things more satisfying than enchiladas. Good friends of ours, George
and Frances, got us hooked. Frances is Hispanic and is a wonderful cook. The
following recipe, I’m sure, does not rise to her level, but she is surely my
inspiration. Thank you, Frances!
You can
classify this recipe as hearty vegetarian, filling, tasty, and nutritious. The
spice level is variable according to your taste – mild, medium, or hot using
chipotle peppers (which also add a hint of smokiness). It is also relatively
quick and easy, especially after you have done it once or twice. As a result,
it has become a regular player in our culinary rotation.
The major ingredients
are black beans and cheese, but you can use the opportunity to use up random
vegetables that you might have in your crisper. Mushrooms have become a
favorite because they add to the hearty nature of the dish. At times we have
added chopped broccoli, leftover baby spinach, or even a chopped carrot.
Here is the
overall process:
1.
Sauté a soffritto (vegetable base)
2.
Create filling mix (beans and cheese and
soffritto)
3.
Fill the tortillas to make enchiladas
4.
Bake until thoroughly heated
5.
Eat and enjoy!
That’s it.
Ingredients
Soffritto:
3-4 Tbs. extra
virgin olive oil (evoo)
6-8
mushrooms sliced thin
½ large sweet
red pepper, chopped
½ large
onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves,
minced
One, two, or
three canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped fine (corresponds to mild,
medium, or hot)
A teaspoon
or two of the adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers
Filling:
2 15.5 oz. cans black
beans, drained
Juice of one
small lime
½ of a 16-19
oz. can Red Enchilada Sauce
2-3 tsp.
ground cumin
2 cups shredded
Mexican cheese blend
Enchiladas:
10-12 small
corn tortillas
Remainder of
Red Enchilada Sauce
1 more cup of the cheese for
topping
Cilantro for
garnish, washed, drained, and chopped
Method
Preheat the
oven to 325 degrees.
Heat the
olive oil in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook, covered, until mushrooms
express their moisture and begin to reduce. Uncover, add the red pepper and
onion and sauté until onions are caramelized. Add minced garlic, chopped
chipotle peppers, and adobe sauce, stir and cook for another few minutes to blend
flavors.
Use a
spatula to scrape all of the soffritto into a large bowl. Add the drained
beans, lime juice, enchilada sauce (half of a can), and cumin and mix well. Once
the filling has cooled a bit, add the cheese and stir to mix.
Prepare an
8x12” baking dish by brushing a small amount of enchilada sauce across the
sides and bottom.
On a plate,
place a corn tortilla and heap a generous portion of filling across the tortilla
from side to side. Fold up the ends and roll to form an enchilada and place it
in the baking dish. The tortilla will often tear but worry not – just tuck it
into the baking dish. As we add more enchiladas, we will tuck them up close to
each other and they will tend to hold each other together.
Place 8-10 enchiladas in the baking dish, keeping them aligned to one side. This will
leave a gap on the other side where you can place a couple more enchiladas. (See picture).
Evenly pour
the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with another
cup of evenly spread cheese and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top
with chopped cilantro.
Enjoy!
(Note - leftovers may be refrigerated for 3-4 days or divided into serving portions and frozen.)
(Note - leftovers may be refrigerated for 3-4 days or divided into serving portions and frozen.)
