Enchiladas Rojas Recipes

Steps:

• Toast chiles in a dry medium skillet over medium-high until fragrant and blistered, 1 to 2 minutes a side. Wipe skillet clean. Remove and discard chile stems and seeds; transfer chiles to a bowl. Cover with 3 cups hot water and let soak 15 minutes. Remove chiles, reserving liquid.
• Blend chiles, cinnamon, clove, oregano, thyme, peppercorns, sesame seeds, peanuts, onion, and 1 1/2 cups reserved liquid until smooth. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium-high. Add sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 5 minutes. Add 1 cup reserved liquid; bring to a boil. Season with salt; keep warm.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in another skillet over medium. Gently fry tortillas one at a time, using 1 tablespoon oil for every 3 tortillas, until pliable, about 30 seconds a side. Remove each with tongs, letting oil drip back into skillet, and dip into sauce, turning to fully coat. Transfer to a plate.
• Place a heaping 1/4 cup carnitas in center of a tortilla. Roll tightly and place, seam-side down, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, arranging them in dish in 2 rows. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Top with queso fresco, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro; serve.

Steps:

• Boil the whole chicken with 1/2 onion, garlic cloves and salt in water to cover for one hour over medium heat. Let cool enough to handle. Remove chicken meat from bone and shred. (Can use left over chicken meat, or a rotisserie chicken if desired.).
• Chop the white onion and set aside. Chop the cilantro and set aside.
• Heat a little olive oil in a skillet, and quickly fry the tortillas, one at a time, until soft and pliable. You will need to add a little olive oil from time to time. Drain the tortillas on paper towels.
• Heat the salsa. One at a time, dip the soft tortilla in the salsa and place it in the baking pan (a 13x9 baking pan works well). Place a heaping spoonful each of shredded chicken and cheese in the middle of the tortilla. Add a little chopped onion and cilantro. Fold or roll the tortilla and move it to the side of the pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until the pan is full. Top with the remaining salsa, sprinkle with remaining cheese, cilantro and onion.
• Bake at 350ºF until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly.

Steps:

• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, high-sided saute pan. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pan and sear on both sides until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a sheet tray and place into the oven. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the center of a chicken thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Rest the chicken for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken with two forks and set aside.
• For the chile sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the chiles over medium heat, turning, until toasted and fragrant, 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and discard the stems and the seeds. Set aside the pan for later. Add the toasted chiles, onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, vinegar, cumin, oregano, salt, sugar and 1 cup water to a blender. Puree until smooth, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer.
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add the strained chile sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the sauce has slightly reduced, 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, finish the filling: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and 1/2 cup of the chile sauce and stir to combine. Set aside.
• To assemble: In a medium skillet, heat 1/4 inch olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Using tongs, dip a tortilla in the hot oil and cook over medium heat, turning once, until pliable, about 10 seconds. Transfer the tortilla to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Spread a thin layer of chile sauce in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Dip each fried tortilla into the chile sauce, flipping to cover both sides. Repeat with the remaining fried tortillas.
• Fill each dipped tortilla with 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture and roll it up. Place the roll into the baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. Pour the remaining sauce all over the enchiladas and top with the cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts, 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves and scallion greens. Serve with Oregano Guacamole and Crema.
• Place the avocado, scallions, oregano, lime juice and some salt and pepper in a bowl and mash together with a fork or potato masher to desired consistency.
• Whisk together the sour cream, avocado, salt and lime zest in a small bowl until well combined.

Steps:

• THE SAUCE: Heat a dry skillet or griddle over medium. Tear the chiles into flat pieces, then toast them a few at a time: Use a metal spatula to press the chile pieces flat against the hot surface, skin side up, until they are aromatic and have lightened in color underneath, about 10 seconds. (If heat is right, you'll have a slight crackle when you press them down, but you shouldn't see more than the slightest wisp of smoke.) Place in a bowl, cover with about 3 cups very hot tap water, lay a small plate on the chiles to keep them submerged and soak for 20 minutes.
• Use a pair of tongs to transfer the rehydrated chiles to a food processor or blender. Measure 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid and add it to the chiles along with the garlic. Blend to a smooth puree, then push through a medium-mesh strainer into a pie plate. The consistency should be like that of canned tomato sauce. Taste (the sauce will be a little rough on the tongue at this point) and season highly with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon.
• OTHER PRELIMINARIES: Set out the grated cheese and sliced onion. If using the optional chicken, warm it in a microwave or in a small skillet over medium-low heat (for stove-top heating, you'll want to dribble in a little water to keep it from sticking).
• FINISHING THE ENCHILADAS: Heat the oven to 350°F Place the sauce and tortillas near the stove, with a baking sheet beside them. Set a small (8-inch) skillet (preferable nonstick) over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil or lard. When the oil is hot, dip both sides of a tortilla into the sauce, then lay it in the oil. Let is sear and sizzle for about 20 seconds, then use a small spatula to flip it over. Sear the other side for about 20 seconds. Transfer to the baking sheet, folding it occasionally and then heating another tablespoon of oil or lard to fry a new batch. Arrange the fried, folded tortillas in groups of three, overlapping them. Pop them into the oven to heat through, about 5 minutes.
• While the enchiladas are heating, in a small bowl, toss the lettuce with the vinegar and a good sprinkling of salt.
• Divide the warm enchiladas among four dinner plates and sprinkle liberally with the grated cheese. Top with the sliced onion, chicken (if you are using it) and a generous portion of the dressed romaine. These wait for no one.

Steps:

• For the sauce and filling:
• Toast coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling pan often and adding cumin seeds during the last 30 seconds of cooking, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool, then finely grind in spice mill or with mortar and pestle.
• Bring guajillo, ancho, and morita chiles and stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 30 minutes to let chiles soften.
• Transfer chile mixture to a blender and add toasted spices, garlic, tomato paste, and oregano and purée until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 250°F. Heat oil in a medium heavy pot over medium-high. Season pork with salt and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 10-12 minutes. Pour off excess oil and add chile purée and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven. Braise pork until meat is very tender and shreds easily, 1 1/2-2 hours; season with salt.
• Skim excess fat from chile sauce; discard bay leaves. Transfer pork to a large bowl. Let cool slightly, then shred with 2 forks. Mix 1/2 cup chile sauce into pork; season with salt. Set remaining sauce aside.
• For the assembly:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until it bubbles immediately when edge of tortilla touches the surface. Working one at a time, fry tortillas until just starting to brown and crisp, about 10 seconds per side (they should still be somewhat pliable). Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Dip both sides of each tortilla in chile sauce just to coat, then transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Spread 1 cup sauce down the length of a 13x9" baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup pork mixture across the center of a tortilla and fold one side over filling, then continue to roll up tortilla. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Repeat with more sauce and remaining tortillas (enchiladas should be nestled right up against each other in pan). Top with cheese and remaining sauce. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is beginning to brown, 15-20 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, purée avocado, sour cream, lime juice, and 1/4 cup water in a food processor, adding more water to thin as needed, until smooth and creamy; season with salt.
• Top enchiladas with onion slices and drizzle with avocado cream. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
• Do Ahead
• Pork can be braised 3 days ahead. Let cool in chile sauce (do not shred); cover and chill.