Cooking Enchiladas With Mama Lupe!

A Day in the Kitchen 

One of the previously unrealized benefits of marrying a Mexican American woman was the opportunity to learn to cook some really good food.  So today, I was finally allowed into the kitchen and permitted to assume the driver's seat in the preparation of 50+ chicken enchiladas as well as Mexican rice.  I photo-documented the process to share the recipe and the process. 

STEP 1 (No Photos):  Cook the chicken

Get three or four chicken breasts (with the skin and bones) and cook them in a pot of water on the stove for about an hour and forty five minutes.  While the chicken is cooking, add two tablespoons of Goya Brand Adobo All Seasoning.  Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot, skin it, cut off the fat, dry it, and then shred it into small pieces.

STEP 2:  Cut the onions

While eating my mother-in-law's enchiladas earlier this week, I inquired where the onions were since I could taste them but couldn't see them.  Despite my best efforts to cut these long green onions as small as I could, my mother-in-law commented that we would have no problem finding the onions in my enchiladas.  I asked if there was a food processor that could cut them smaller and she laughed.  Anyways, cut them in small pieces and put them in a bowl.

STEP 3:  Count the tortillas!

So my mother-in-law insisted that I carefully count out the number of corn tortillas we would need for the enchiladas.  While she intended to make over 40, she only allowed me to start with 30 so I would not become overwhelmed.  Apparently, I did well mid-course so we actually made more than 50.  This may have been due to the fact I was not putting enough stuffing in the early enchiladas. 

STEP 4:  Pour the shredded Mexican cheese and the enchilada sauce into separate bowls on the table.

 

We used two bags of standards shredded Mexican cheese from the grocery store and two cans of La Palma brand Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (medium).  Since my mother-in-law told me, I will tell you, out each ingredient it its own bowl.

STEP 5:  Fry and Dip the tortillas!!

Welcome to the seedy underbelly of Mexican cooking.  This part of the recipe is like those shows where the masked magician reveals there is really no such thing as magic.  The next step is to fill the bottom of a frying pan with about an inch of almost boiling olive oil.  You then take the large pot full of the enchilada sauce you will be using and put it on the counter next to the frying pan.  Finally, you need some tongs unless your fingers are hardened from years of enchilada making like mama Lupe.  You cook each tortilla in the oil for a minute or two until it starts to harden slightly.  You also need to flip it a couple of times.  Then you dip the tortilla into the enchilada sauce and then place it on a plate.  There is NO DOUBT that this oil dip step could be skipped and there is also no doubt that it would make your enchiladas taste like they were from a Weight Watchers Smart One TV dinner!


STEP 6:  Make your enchiladas

Now that your tortillas are lightly fried and covered in sauce and all of your ingredients are on the table, you are ready to make the enchiladas.  Place a generous pinch of chicken, onions, and shredded cheese onto the center of the tortilla and then fold it so it is circular and closed.  Then carefully place it onto a cooking pan (Mama Lupe says glass is best).  Line them up carefully so none of the ingredients are hanging out with a neat fold between each tortilla so they can be scooped out easily after they are cooked.  If you screw this up, your cooking pan will look disorderly and will be an embarrassment and possibly subject you to mockery (so be neat about it).  The following video will show the process with some authentic kitchen chatter in the background.  The tortilla model in the video is my beautiful wife.

STEP 7:  Prepare the enchilada trays to be cooked and cook them

The final step is to pour a light layer of enchilada sauce on top of your finished trays of enchiladas with a spoon and then to add as much shredded cheese as you would like.  Looking for the cheese to be completely melted is how you are going to be able to tell if the enchiladas are done cooking so you better add at least a bit!  Cook your enchiladas for about 15-20 minutes in an over preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  You can check to see if the cheese is melted on if they are sufficiently brown.  Since everything was cooked before you put it in the oven, the amount of cooking time is really personal preference versus a health issue.

Feedback!!

We ate the enchiladas with some Mexican rice (another recipe for another day).  I served them to my in-laws, nephews, and friends.  Everyone seemed to like them and was excited to learn they were cooked by the only non-Mexican member of the family! 

The moment of truth!  My wife, brother and sister-in-law, and nephews dug in!  Look at the intensity on their faces as they sampled the food!

At least one discerning eater noticed my onions were too large (as identified early in the process by Mama Lupe).  This is nothing a high quality food processor can't fix once my training wheels are off!!