Dinner Tonight: Stacked Green Enchiladas
I had my first green enchilada experience at a friend's house in Brooklyn. He was actually from New Mexico and used to make a huge batch every weekend for anyone who happened to stop by the apartment. But he made them unlike any enchilada I'd ever had. Instead of rolling them up and baking them with loads of meat, he just stacked them on a plate layered with cheese and tomatillo sauce. Instead of the heavy, orange-cheese covered ones that I grew up on in the Midwest, these were bright and acidic. I'd always have two plates' worth.
Now back in the Midwest, it was harder to reconstruct this memory than I had anticipated. Nearly all the green enchilada recipes contained chicken in some integral way. So first I had to track down a green sauce, which I finally found in Bon Appétit. Then it was just a matter of stacking the tortillas, layering on some sauce, and sprinkling on a little cheese. You can melt the cheese in an oven, which will take 15 minutes or so, or you can do what I did and just zap it in the microwave for about a minute. That way you can have seconds in a flash.
Stacked Green Enchiladas
- serves 4 -
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and cut in half
1 onion, quartered
4 serrano chiles
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
12 corn tortillas
6 ounces Chihuahua cheese or Monterrey Jack, shredded
Procedure
1. Heat a large iron skillet over medium-high heat. Set a timer for 9 minutes. Add the onion quarters and cook, flipping after 4 minutes. With 6 minutes left on the timer, add the tomatillos and chilies. Flip both after 3 minutes. Add the garlic with 4 minutes left. When all are slightly blackened transfer to a food processor. Toss in the cilantro and sugar, and process until very smooth.
2. Clean out the iron skillet, then pour in the oil over medium-high heat. Carefully pour in the tomatillo mixture. Cook for 2 minutes or until it has thickened. Pour in the chicken broth and lime juice. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
3. Time to stack. Place a tortilla on a plate. Top with a little bit of sauce and sprinkling of cheese. Repeat process two more times. Place plate in a microwave and cook until cheese has melted, about a minute.
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11 Comments:
Your sauce sounds great! On stacked enchilades I also add chopped onion. Although I see you have it added in the sauce.
Maryland Crab
Maryland Crab at 4:37PM on 12/22/08
I love a fried egg on top of my stacked enchiladas.
jesslang at 5:19PM on 12/22/08
Yum, I've also seen enchiladas with a NM influence folded up and called "casserole style".
chanterelle at 8:25PM on 12/22/08
Here in New Mexico, the sauce doesn't have tomatillos in it, just chiles. And green chiles, for a green chile enchilada. And a fried egg on top, with the yolk still runny.
artisan02 at 8:35PM on 12/22/08
Yes. New Mexican chilis are awesome.
I normally don't really enjoy enchiladas. At a Mexican restaurant, I will almost always choose something else. But these sound like they might be pretty good and simple. And adaptable to include meats.
wunami at 10:09PM on 12/22/08
Hey Nick, now that I'm reading the recipe closer, I'm confused on the timing indicated in step 1. Let me know if this is accurate:
Heat skillet.
Add in onion right away.
At minute 3 (6 left on timer), add in tomatillos and chilis.
At minute 4, flip onions.
At minute 5 (4 left on timer), add garlic.
At minute 6 (3 after tomatillos and chilis went in at minute 3 AKA 3 minutes after 6 minutes left on the timer), flip tomatillos and chilis.
At minute 9, hopefully things are blackened.
Or yet in other words, the onions need about 4-5 minutes on each side to blacken. The tomatillos and chilis need 3 min on each side . Garlic needs 4 minutes on one side. And your timing is so they are all ready at the same time.
Is that right?
wunami at 10:25PM on 12/22/08
wunami - Exactly Right! Though you may find some things cook faster than others. So keep a careful watch.
Nick Kindelsperger at 7:39AM on 12/23/08
This sounds great. I've never had stacked enchiladas but I love green sauce.
saraann at 9:46AM on 12/23/08
Green chile chicken enchiladas are popular here in New Mexico. No tomatillos. Like Artisan said, green chiles only.
Also, pork goes really well with green chile.
soozm32 at 10:16AM on 12/23/08
Been looking for a recipe like this but I'll definitely add chicken to mine - Thank you!
ddvierra68 at 11:17AM on 12/24/08
Sounds good as I just finished a batch of salsa verde with fresh pablanos, tomatillas, onions and garlic then add the cilentro at serving, and it has a nice fresh kick to it. I got the recipe from "Tamales 101" (a great recipe book for sauces and fillings) and it sounds almost identical plus since I made about a gallon of it, perfect timing for a quick and easy New Years day dish.We love enchiladas but the soaking of the tortillas and rolling them up is time consuming so this ones on next week. Also made about a gallon of a red chile sauce with a variety of dried chiles its mild and can be kicked up with various hotter dried chiles very easily for different uses.
shipwreck at 11:22AM on 12/24/08