I'd been hankering enchiladas for awhile and having some left over bell peppers in the house from a fabulous stir fry Marc made the other night I decided to try make Chicken Fajita Enchiladas. If you haven't noticed "left overs" is how my dishes get created. Have I mentioned yet how Marc will say "Wow, this one is fantastic... only we'll never have it again will we?"
What I love about enchiladas, which ponders the question why I haven't made them, is that they're simple and a change from what we're usually have. Growing up, Mom made these - although ours were cheese enchiladas since we were picky-eaters. I ran across a great story on the Internet that brought back memories of her making them with me standing by her helping (or getting in the way depending on who you ask). Although we're Jewish she took the time to pre-cook the tortillas just like the Mother below.
IngredientsEnchiladas were a family staple growing up, though thankfully this cheese enchilada recipe has much less fat in it these days. Mom tells the story about how in the Sixties my Aunt Josephine went out to eat at a new supposedly Mexican food restaurant in Boston, only to be fed enchiladas where the corn tortillas had been taken out of a package and had not been fried before being cooked with cheese and sauce. (You have to pre-cook the tortillas to soften them up and give them more flavor.) She then went into the restaurant's kitchen and taught the chef how to properly make an enchilada. My aunt and my mother, both fifth generation Hispanic Arizonians, learned this recipe from my grandmother.
Cooking spray
12 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 cup of salsa
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
cooked shredded chicken
bell peppers (red, yellow and green), diced
small eggplant, bite size pieces
1 lb of fat-fat cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup fat-free mozzarella cheese
fat-fat sour cream
Steps
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a large pan and at high heat add a tortilla. Cook 2-3 seconds, lift up the tortilla with a fork and add another tortilla underneath. Cook 2-3 seconds, lift again both tortillas and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat the process with all the tortillas, adding a little more oil as needed. As the tortillas brown a little, remove from the pan one by one. This allows the tortillas to brown and soften, developing the flavor of the tortillas without adding fat.
3. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in a medium size pot. Lower heat to medium and add salsa, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and water.
4. In the pan used for pre-heating the tortillas, sauté the peppers and eggplant until tender. Add chicken and cook another7 minutes.
5. Spray the bottom of a large casserole pan. Take a tortilla, lightly cover with chicken mix then cheddar cheese. Roll up tortilla and place in casserole pan, seem side down. Continue until all the tortillas are filled and rolled. Add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the the casserole pan, making sure all are covered. Cover enchilada with the mozzarella cheese.
6. Put the casserole in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.
7. Garnish with sour cream.
Preparation time: 30 minutes. Serves 4.
