I agree and disagree. I agree that the OP probably just has a taste for Mexican food. I can't help him there except to say... improvise, improvise, improvise.BreezyCooking said:
I disagree about not learning new techniques or ingredients.
Enchilada Challenge
- Thread starter Arcana
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I disagree about not learning new techniques or ingredients.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
As someone who LOVES to cook all sorts of different cuisines & is always picking up new items to try at the ethnic markets we have around here, I DO agree with you about learning new techniques &/or ingredients - IF this interests the person.
Just like a sport, if someone isn't really interested in cooking or certain types of cuisines, then at least they're better off being somewhere like Bulgaria rather than some backwater in Thailand - lol!!
Just like a sport, if someone isn't really interested in cooking or certain types of cuisines, then at least they're better off being somewhere like Bulgaria rather than some backwater in Thailand - lol!!
letscook
Head Chef
If you can get corn meal i have a good one . for making your own. My mom makes for me every year for my birthday. I could eat the whole pan only if my stomach would let me and i didn't plan on moving for the day.
I will get the recipe from her and post it later today.
I will get the recipe from her and post it later today.
OP
OP
Arcana
Cook
BreezyCooking: Don't take offense to what I'm going to say but unless you've lived in the USA or Bulgaria, there is no way to know what is in either place. I can assure you that Bulgarians are very traditional about their food and they don't have all of the things available in the USA. They are not as food adventurous as many other cultures. As far as some "backwater" in Thailand (lol) I lived in a sort of "backwater" in China and it's true that the food there and the USA is like night and day including spices and ingredients. I couldn't even identify the spices they use or the precooked foods they sold in their grocery stores. As far as embracing the culture, I have done that as much as I can but that doesn't stop me from missing some very basic foods and recipes that I've loved all my life. As far as Mexican food, I only like a few dishes and I probably shouldn't even call them Mexican as they are more Americanized that true Mexican dishes.
Also, I don't want to make tortilla chips into tortillas. I want to make a casserole type dish and was just hoping someone had a good recipe for it. I'm a terrible cook if I don't have a recipe with exact amounts or measurements. I can alter things a bit but I need a definite guide.
Oh, and for the record, I'm a "She" lol.
Also, I don't want to make tortilla chips into tortillas. I want to make a casserole type dish and was just hoping someone had a good recipe for it. I'm a terrible cook if I don't have a recipe with exact amounts or measurements. I can alter things a bit but I need a definite guide.
Oh, and for the record, I'm a "She" lol.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
No offense taken at all. I think you may have misunderstood what I was trying to say. Either that or you're confusing me with another poster. I am not the poster who automatically thought you didn't want to embrace the local culture - but you weren't really clear on that in your original post.
I do live & was born & raised in the U.S., but with all Czech relatives on both sides of the family who brought family recipes over from Europe, just know that the "basic" ingredients are the same. And I did say that perhaps you were just missing some Mexican food, not that you didn't want to embrace the local culture.
Now you have me confused as to what I said that makes you think I was accusing your adventurous spirit - lol!!!
I do live & was born & raised in the U.S., but with all Czech relatives on both sides of the family who brought family recipes over from Europe, just know that the "basic" ingredients are the same. And I did say that perhaps you were just missing some Mexican food, not that you didn't want to embrace the local culture.
Now you have me confused as to what I said that makes you think I was accusing your adventurous spirit - lol!!!
letscook
Head Chef
Here is the recipe my mom makes.
This may look like alot of work but they really arn't
I think I'll give my mother a call and drop a hint maybe my brithday will come early.
hope you like them.
Cheese Enchiladas
Step One: Tortillas
1 cup of four (after it has been sifted)
1/2 cup corn meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups cold water
combine the above in a bowl. beat until smooth. spoon onto a hot grill or frying pan and spread with a spoon to make a pancake. turn over when edges begin to look dry but not brown and flip and do the same to the other side. remove and cool. Best not to stack when cooling
Step two: Filling
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
mix well and set aside
Step Three: Sauce
2 tbl minced onion
2 tbl oil
1 tbl flour
1 can (1lb-4 0z) tomatoes drained and save juice
1 clove garlic minced
2 tsp chili powder (if you want it hotter add more)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tabsaco sauce (or you own favorite hot sauce)
brown onion in oil stir in flour and stir in rest of ingredients, add 1/2 cup of the reserved tomato juice to make it a medium thickness let simmer until thicken and let cool to the touch.
Step 4: Assembly
One at a time, dip tortilla into sauce and then place a large spoonfull of the filling on each and roll up and arrange into baking dish. pour remaining sauce of all the enchildas and sprinkle with remaining filling or if there is no remaining filling grated shrp cheese.
place in 375 degree oven heat throughly approx 20 min.
This may look like alot of work but they really arn't
I think I'll give my mother a call and drop a hint maybe my brithday will come early.
hope you like them.
Cheese Enchiladas
Step One: Tortillas
1 cup of four (after it has been sifted)
1/2 cup corn meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups cold water
combine the above in a bowl. beat until smooth. spoon onto a hot grill or frying pan and spread with a spoon to make a pancake. turn over when edges begin to look dry but not brown and flip and do the same to the other side. remove and cool. Best not to stack when cooling
Step two: Filling
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
mix well and set aside
Step Three: Sauce
2 tbl minced onion
2 tbl oil
1 tbl flour
1 can (1lb-4 0z) tomatoes drained and save juice
1 clove garlic minced
2 tsp chili powder (if you want it hotter add more)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tabsaco sauce (or you own favorite hot sauce)
brown onion in oil stir in flour and stir in rest of ingredients, add 1/2 cup of the reserved tomato juice to make it a medium thickness let simmer until thicken and let cool to the touch.
Step 4: Assembly
One at a time, dip tortilla into sauce and then place a large spoonfull of the filling on each and roll up and arrange into baking dish. pour remaining sauce of all the enchildas and sprinkle with remaining filling or if there is no remaining filling grated shrp cheese.
place in 375 degree oven heat throughly approx 20 min.
I thought that I felt my ears burning. 
I read through the whole thread. I'm the one that said embrace your culture. Perhaps some here think I implied that you're not willing to do that, but it was just a statement, not a judgement, and it was based on my own experience. You have to work with tools you're given. I lived in Russia, too, so I know what you are going through. It's just that in living abroad these past 15 years, I've learned that you have to work with what you can find. Which is what you are doing and what your questions are based upon. I'll try to actually be helpful in this post. <tee hee> I've never made this dish, so I don't even know if this is good advice, but...
To keep the chips from getting too soggy, I'd keep them whole. Pass each chip through the red sauce very quickly before layering in the casserole. Use very little of the red sauce (letscook gave you a great recipe for that) in the actual finished dish. You can always add it at the end and it will help keep the chips crisp/tender. The cheese will add moisture too, don't forget. Make sure all the chips are covered, otherwise they'll dry out. You want to use cheddar, right? I'm making an assumption here, but from my own living abroad, I'd guess that this is a very aged cheddar... it might have less moisture. Be prepared that it will separate when melted. If you have small dishes, I'd experiment with the amount of sauce and cheese to find the right moisture combination.
Alternately, you could make a nice fondue with mexican ingredients and use the chips as dippers.
I read through the whole thread. I'm the one that said embrace your culture. Perhaps some here think I implied that you're not willing to do that, but it was just a statement, not a judgement, and it was based on my own experience. You have to work with tools you're given. I lived in Russia, too, so I know what you are going through. It's just that in living abroad these past 15 years, I've learned that you have to work with what you can find. Which is what you are doing and what your questions are based upon. I'll try to actually be helpful in this post. <tee hee> I've never made this dish, so I don't even know if this is good advice, but...
To keep the chips from getting too soggy, I'd keep them whole. Pass each chip through the red sauce very quickly before layering in the casserole. Use very little of the red sauce (letscook gave you a great recipe for that) in the actual finished dish. You can always add it at the end and it will help keep the chips crisp/tender. The cheese will add moisture too, don't forget. Make sure all the chips are covered, otherwise they'll dry out. You want to use cheddar, right? I'm making an assumption here, but from my own living abroad, I'd guess that this is a very aged cheddar... it might have less moisture. Be prepared that it will separate when melted. If you have small dishes, I'd experiment with the amount of sauce and cheese to find the right moisture combination.
Alternately, you could make a nice fondue with mexican ingredients and use the chips as dippers.
Last edited:
Quizzie
Senior Cook
Hello Arcana, IF I may, I AM OF hispanic Origin and I am sorry that you can not find what you need to make your dish. But, I have to agree with BreezyCooking, If you can not find Corn tortilla ingrediants.." that is not a problem"! I would take your tortilla chips or Dorrito's whatever you have. Put some of your red sauce on the bottom of your baking dish, then place chips atop of that layer with cheese (lots) more sauce, more chips, cheese, sauce And so on. Make sure the top layer is of chips with remainder of sauce.
Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes on 350' Until your chips have softened with the cheese and the sauce. When it is almost done, add xtra cheese on the cool down.
RED SAUCE Chili powder, salt, pepper 1
can tomato sauce and 1 cube of chicken boullion per however many cups of sauce you intend on making (1 cube per 1 cup of water) I f you use 2 cubes then it will be 2 cups of water.
Make your 3 tblsp oil to 2 tblsp flour.(like gravy) Boil 1-2 cups water depends on amount of cubes you want to use, and how much sauce you want. ( to layer this dish you might make it more) in another sauce pan boil water,cubes and add tomato sauce(amount of tamoto sauce cans you use depends on how much sauce you make) .
add chili powder to your flour and oil mixture about 2 tblspoons depends on how dark and rich you want your sauce. Salt and pepper a little of dry cummin--if it is available,stir your gravy sauce, add bouillion water(with toamto sauce)and stir, This will bring a heavy boil, lower flame and simmer until you get the flavor and consitancy you are trying to achieve. Which is a rich dark red tomato gravy for your enchilada casserole. I really feel that you can still get the great taste of the Traditional U S A enchiladas this way.. GOOD LUCK
Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes on 350' Until your chips have softened with the cheese and the sauce. When it is almost done, add xtra cheese on the cool down.
RED SAUCE Chili powder, salt, pepper 1
can tomato sauce and 1 cube of chicken boullion per however many cups of sauce you intend on making (1 cube per 1 cup of water) I f you use 2 cubes then it will be 2 cups of water.
Make your 3 tblsp oil to 2 tblsp flour.(like gravy) Boil 1-2 cups water depends on amount of cubes you want to use, and how much sauce you want. ( to layer this dish you might make it more) in another sauce pan boil water,cubes and add tomato sauce(amount of tamoto sauce cans you use depends on how much sauce you make) .
add chili powder to your flour and oil mixture about 2 tblspoons depends on how dark and rich you want your sauce. Salt and pepper a little of dry cummin--if it is available,stir your gravy sauce, add bouillion water(with toamto sauce)and stir, This will bring a heavy boil, lower flame and simmer until you get the flavor and consitancy you are trying to achieve. Which is a rich dark red tomato gravy for your enchilada casserole. I really feel that you can still get the great taste of the Traditional U S A enchiladas this way.. GOOD LUCK
jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
Arcana!My next door neighbor is from Bulgaria and tries to go once a year to Bulgaria if you like I will send with her a mexican food care package.No problem here in New Mexico to get a bunch of light weight items to send with her.Or I will mail you some stuff.PM me if you are interested I love doing things like that.jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
I just had an idea instead of being stuck on the enchilada thing what about doing some thing else instead that would be easier to do like burritos same fillings same sauce but using flour tortillas or a chli stew that you can scoop up with dorito chips or frito pie.The possibilities are endless.
Dove
DC Grandma
Arcana,
I use a pkg of Dorito chips or what ever kind I have on hand..break them up in a large bowl.sometimes I just open the bag and crush them through the bag with my hands and then pour them into the bowl..stir a large cut up onion and 1 pound of grated cheese. Pour two cans of enchilada sauce on top..stir well.
Add more cheese on top if you want to save some out for this.
350* about 25 minutes.
I use a pkg of Dorito chips or what ever kind I have on hand..break them up in a large bowl.sometimes I just open the bag and crush them through the bag with my hands and then pour them into the bowl..stir a large cut up onion and 1 pound of grated cheese. Pour two cans of enchilada sauce on top..stir well.
Add more cheese on top if you want to save some out for this.
350* about 25 minutes.
Claire
Master Chef
Arcana, I'm reading over the posts in this, and since you say you're looking for a casserole-type-dish, I'm wondering if corn meal is available to you (I'm having a hard time determining what posts came inwhen. Yes, I know they are dated,but still, there are so many). In Slovenia they eat a dish called Schkanze (I'm spelling it the way mil pronounced it) made with corn meal. Much like we call polenta here. Since I don't use it very often, having a bag of corn meal flour sits on the pantry shelf for too long if I don't use it for something. So I made it into corn tortillas (which it wasn't made for, it wsn't the traditional maize that you use for that), but it was the biggest suceess in tamale pies. It was the kind of flour that Italians and eastern europeans use for their traditional corn meal "mush" dishes. Since lard is getting more and more difficult to get around here, I used a dab of bacon fat in with the water. Then I layered the "dough" with ground meat (sauteed with onions, peppers, cumin, cayenne, etc), chili-style beans, cheese. Almost like a lasanga, just with layers of the polenta type mix in between instead of pasta. I put a little baking soda in the polenta, which made it puff a little. No, it definitely wasn't enchiladas. But I was surprised (probably because I'm not a corn meal fan myself) how my husband and friends loved it. And it was not done with the traditional masa for Mexican tamales and tortillas, but the corn flour meant for schkanze and polenta.
OP
OP
Arcana
Cook
Well, I'm glad I didn't offend anyone and I'm sorry if I misquoted anyone. Thanks for the help Velochic, Letscook and Quizzie. I think between the 3 of you, I'll be able to make something pretty darn good.
Jpmcgrew, I've been wrestling with the idea of having someone from the usa mail me some things but it's so expensive and I figure if I'm going to bother with it at all, it's something I'd want to do regularly or else just accept that I can't have the things I like. I appreciate the offer but I wouldn't want your friend to go to any trouble and getting some things just one time would be like a tease lol. Although, I might keep you in mind for a few things that I wouldn't have to buy that often. Things like regular chili powder and cornstarch. All the chili powder here is hotter than Hades!!!
Jpmcgrew, I've been wrestling with the idea of having someone from the usa mail me some things but it's so expensive and I figure if I'm going to bother with it at all, it's something I'd want to do regularly or else just accept that I can't have the things I like. I appreciate the offer but I wouldn't want your friend to go to any trouble and getting some things just one time would be like a tease lol. Although, I might keep you in mind for a few things that I wouldn't have to buy that often. Things like regular chili powder and cornstarch. All the chili powder here is hotter than Hades!!!
jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
No problem Arcana chili powder doesn't weigh much at all so it's easy to send.JPjpmcgrew
Executive Chef
Arcana,Look what I just found.Quite by accident since I was messing around on internet.I actually have a subscription to this magazine it's a great magazine.So check it out they have a corn tortilla recipe but it uses masa harina I still dont know what the difference is from masa as to plain corn meal.But I love a challenge so we shall see what I come up anyway you might like this site.JPhttp://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/fd/features/package/0,14343,1185161,00.html
jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
mandoman
Assistant Cook
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2006
- Messages
- 14
corn tortillas
I tried these homemade tortillas, and fresh really is better!! Try making chips from your homemade tortillas!!! Super nachos!
Debbie said:
I tried these homemade tortillas, and fresh really is better!! Try making chips from your homemade tortillas!!! Super nachos!
OP
OP
Arcana
Cook
mandoman said:
LOL mandoman, I don't want CHIPS!!! I want beautiful, soft corn tortillas to make enchiladas with but, thanks anyway
Dina
Executive Chef
Wow! I missed this challenge and I think I would have had a good shot at it. Better luck next time.
mandoman
Assistant Cook
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2006
- Messages
- 14
They make great enchaladas also. Helps to get a cheap tortilla press also. Experiment a little,...the gain is worth it!!!!
