Enchiladas Verdes Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos husked and rinsed about 8
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1 -2 serrano chiles
- 1 small white onion sliced 1/2 inch thick
- salt
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, olive oil, bacon grease, or freshly rendered pork lard, plus extra oil for tortillas
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, or 1 large epazote sprig, chopped
- 2 3/4 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken, pork or beef or 3 cups shredded Mexican melting cheese (such as Chihuahua, quesadilla, or asadero) or Monterey Jack, brick, or mild Cheddar or 1 1/2 cups goat or dryish ricotta cheese
- 8 corn tortillas, preferably from a local tortilleria
To Serve
- Dollops of Mexican crema, sour cream, creme fraiche, or Greek yogurt thinned with a little milk or a few tablespoons grated Mexican queso anejo or other garnishing cheese such as Romano or Parmesan or a handful of shredded Mexican melting cheese (such as Chihuahua, quesadilla, or asardo) or Monterey Jack, brick, or mild Cheddar - you can sprinkle it over the enchiladas before they go into the oven
- Handful fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out the tomatillos, garlic, serrano chiles, and most of the onion, reserving a few slices for garnish. Slide the baking sheet as close as possible under the broiler. After 4-5 minutes when everything is blotchy-black and softening, turn the vegetables and roast the other side until everything is cooked through. They should be soft, with an attractive bit of rustic char. Transfer the baking sheet to the stove top to cool down a little.
- When cool enough to handle, slip the skins off the garlic and pull the stems off the chiles. Transfer the vegetables to a blender with any juice left on the baking sheet, add a scant teaspoon of salt, and blend everything in a course puree.
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until hot and add the tomatillo puree. Let it reduce and concentrate, stirring frequently, until it's thicker than spaghetti sauce, about 4 minutes. Stir in stock and cilantro. Season with salt to taste, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let simmer while you prepare the tortillas.
- Measure out your choice of filling. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray or brush oil on side of the tortillas and stack them up, slip them into a plastic bag, fold the bag over, and microwave the stack at 100 percent for 1 minute. Let the tortillas stand for 1 minute (to uniformly absorb the heat).
- If using a meat filling, stir a little roasted tomatillo sauce into the meat to moisten it. Lay out the tortillas on the countertop, cover them with a portion of the meat or cheese, roll them up and fit them into a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon the hot tomatillo sauce over the tortillas (covering the whole of each tortilla to avoid dry ends), slide the dish into the oven, and bake just until heated through- about 4 minutes. Longer in the oven means mushy enchiladas.
- Use a spatula to transfer the enchiladas onto dinner plates. Garnish with the crema, cheese of your choice, the reserved onion and cilantro.
Notes
This recipe is a good use of rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted braised meats.