Enchiladas Verdes

Verde sauce is popular in both Mexican and Tex-mex food. My personal recipe for verde sauce probably differs since I saute the vegetables rather than cooking them in water. I like the flavor that comes from the slight caramelization (is that a word?) of the onions and garlic. I make my salsa this way as well. Most recipes also include cilantro... I usually include it... but since I was going to serve it with pico de gallo I thought that it might be a bit of a cilantro overkill.

Here is my version of Enchiladas Verdes.....


You start by making the Verde sauce. I do this by sauteing 1/2 an onion, several cloves of garlic, two poblanos and at least a dozen tomatillas until things are soft and golden. You can make it a little spicier if you like... by adding jalapenos or serranos... but I was making it for my kids so I kept it on the mild side and just put pico de gallo on the table.


Next puree in a blender with some water. I like to add a little water to the pan I cooked the veggies in...then I swirl it around to get all the tasty bits off the bottom. This not only adds flavor but it adds color as well... Next just add a little salt and your done. That is all there is to making Verde sauce... you can stop there if you just want a salsa for the table... but I was making enchiladas... so here is what I did next.

Next your going to assemble your ingredients and start some oil heating on the stove. I filled mine with chicken... but if you want to make them vegetarian just fill with cheese... or you can even make them vegan if you fill them with sauteed vegetables or beans.

Here is the shocking... calorie rich step... but hey I've tried it many ways and this is truly the best way to get the tortillas the right texture for rolling into enchiladas. I've tried dipping them in sauce and this usually turns them into mush... I've also tried heating them in the microwave or in a skillet without the oil... and they just don't get pliable enough.... so I dip my tortillas in the heated oil for just a few seconds and then quickly and carefully (they get hot) wrap them around the ingredients.

Next lay them out in a neat little row on top of a layer of sauce.

Top with sauce and cheese and they are ready to go into a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. I like to cover mine with foil and then remove it for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Now you have a pan of steaming hot enchiladas.... so it is time to eat.

I like to serve mine with a nice green salad... some beans, plenty of pico de gallo to garnish and a cold cerveza of your choice. We had strawberries and grapes served with a chocolate-mint cookie for dessert.

Cheers,

Jenn