NEW MEXICO ENCHILADAS

New-Mexico-style enchiladas with eggs

This is the way my grandmother and aunt made enchiladas; I haven't lived in New Mexico myself, but that's where this recipe came from.

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

1 lb ground beef
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt (or use more or less to taste)
pepper
1-3 tsp chili powder (to taste)
1 Tbsp flour
4 oz tomato sauce
8 oz water
2 corn tortillas
2 eggs
vegetable oil
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
5 oz cheddar cheese, grated

Procedure

Sautae the beef over medium heat until it has lost its raw red color, chopping it with the edge of a spoon into small pieces as it cooks. Add the garlic and spices and cook another 3-4 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste. Remember that the flavor of chili mellows as it cooks, although it won't get less hot.
Add the flour to the meat mixture and stir well. Add the tomato sauce and water. Simmer gently (uncovered) for about 45 minutes, until it has thickened and the flavors are blended.
Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat, until it sizzles when a bit of tortilla is dropped in. Soften the tortillas briefly in the oil, one at a time, about 5 seconds on a side. (Turn with tongs, being careful not to tear them.) Drain on paper towels.
Prepare another small skillet with a small amount of oil in the bottom, enough for frying an egg.
Assembling the enchiladas requires you to keep track of several things at once. Start an egg frying for each enchilada. Make sure that the yolk is cooked soft, not hard! Put one tortilla on a dinner plate. Cover it with a medium-thick layer of meat sauce. Sprinkle chopped onion and grated cheese on top. Sprinkle lettuce and chopped tomato around the edge. Top with another tortilla. Cover with more meat sauce, sprinkle more onion and cheese. Now top with the fried egg and serve immediately.

Notes

You can also make single-decker enchiladas, for people with small appetitites. Omit the second layer of tortilla, meat, onion and cheese, but don't forget the egg. If you make single-deckers, you will need twice as many tortillas and twice as many eggs, but the same amount of the other ingredients.

Rating

Difficulty: easy to moderate.
Time: 10 minutes preparation, 45 minutes simmering, 5 minutes assembly.
Precision: approximate measurement OK.

Contributor

 
Vicki O'Day 
Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA 
hplabs!oday

Recipe last modified: 18 Mar 86

Original header

Path: decwrl!recipes
From: oday@hplabs (Vicki O'Day)
Newsgroups: mod.recipes
Subject: RECIPE: New Mexico enchiladas
Message-ID: <3729@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: 20 Jun 86 03:37:58 GMT
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