Recipes: Enchiladas and Red and Green Chile Sauces

Red and green chiles are key ingredients of New Mexican cuisine. The Santa Fe School of Cooking offers "Sunday Morning" viewers their recipes for Enchiladas, and the sauces that accompany them, red or green (or both!), as seen in the school's newest cookbook, "Celebrating the Foods of New Mexico."

Be sure to watch Conor Knighton's report on chiles in New Mexico on "Sunday Morning" December 18!

Chicken or Cheese Enchiladas
Serves 10

Ingredients:

3 cups red or green chile sauce (recipes for sauces below)
16 fresh corn tortillas, about 4 inches in diameter
4 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 1/2 pounds Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups diced onion, or sliced scallions with green tops
2 cups shredded iceberg or romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups diced tomato
1 1/4 cups sour cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Oil a 9x12 baking dish or pan.
2. Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the dish and layer half of the tortillas evenly over the sauce. Top the tortillas with 1/2 of the chicken and 1/3 of the cheese and sprinkle with half the onion (for milder onion flavor, use scallions). Repeat for second layer and top with the last cup of sauce and the remaining cheese.
3. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.
4. To serve, spoon portions onto dinner plates, garnish with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and top with 2 tablespoons sour cream. Serve with pinto beans and posole.

Green Chile Sauce
Published in "Celebrating the Foods of New Mexico Cookbook"
Makes about 2 ½ cups

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic, to taste
1 to 2 Tablespoons flour
2/3 cup mild roasted, peeled, chopped New Mexico green chile
2/3 cups hot roasted, peeled, chopped New Mexico green chile
1/3 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seed to taste
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more. 
2. Stir in the flour. Add the green chiles and coriander and slowly stir in the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
3. Optional seasonings: diced tomato, fresh cilantro and/or cumin.

      
Red Chile Sauce from Pods
Published in "Celebrating the Foods of New Mexico Cookbook."
Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

12 New Mexico red chile pods
2 to 3 cups boiling water
1/4 vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic
Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Rinse the pods well to remove debris and dirt. Remove the stems from the chiles and shake out the seeds. Place the pods in a bowl and cover with 2 to 3 cups of boiling water.
2. Weigh the chiles down with a plate or can to submerge (they have a tendency to float), and let them stand for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion for 3 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Drain the chiles, reserving the liquid. Place half the chiles in a blender and add 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid and half of the sautéed onion/garlic mixture and puree. Add more chile liquid if the mixture seems too thick. Repeat the process with the remaining chiles and 1 cup of the soaking liquid, but take care to pour carefully and leave any residual grit at the bottom of the liquid and discard. Pour the purees into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the mixture for 20 minutes. Strain the sauce and discard the bits of skin. Taste and season with salt as needed.
5. Optional seasonings: toasted chile seeds, Mexican oregano, freshly ground coriander seed.

       
For more info:

• "Celebrating the Foods of New Mexico" by the Sante Fe School of Cooking, available in Hardcover
• Santa Fe School of Cooking

In:
• Recipes