World Recipes

Green Enchiladas

Sauce
1 1/4 pounds fresh tomatillos
2 fresh jalapeno peppers
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt

Enchiladas
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Sour cream

To make the sauce bring a medium pan of water to boil. Husk and wash tomatillos and seed the jalapenos and sliced off stems. Add these to the boiling water and cook 10 minutes. Drain. Put into food processor with onion and garlic and process to coarse puree.

In large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat, add puree and simmer 2 minutes. Add salt and broth and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep warm.

To make enchiladas, place chicken in saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through. Drain and cool slightly. Shred chicken and set aside.

Lightly cook onion in oil until limp. Combine onion with cooled chicken, salt and 1/4 cup of tomatillo salsa. Add 3/4 cup of salsa on bottom of large casserole dish and spread evenly over bottom. Place 1 corn tortilla at a time in pan of salsa for 30 seconds, then turn over with tongs to soften. Place a couple of spoonfuls of chicken in tortilla and roll up and place in casserole. Finish stuffing tortillas. Spoon remaining salsa over the enchiladas. You can top with shredded Monterey jack cheese, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes, or just long enough to get it hot throughout and melt the cheese.

Serve with sour cream or crema.

Chicken Chilaquiles

Servings: 4

4 skinless, boned chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 ounces lightly salted tortilla chips
28 ounces green enchilada sauce
8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
8 tablespoons light or regular sour cream
1/2 cup salsa fresca (fresh or store-bought)

Sprinkle breasts with cumin, salt and pepper. Broil until just done. Slice or shred chicken.

Evenly cover four microwave-safe dinner plates with tortilla chips. Sprinkle with chicken. Pour enchilada sauce over the chicken and then microwave each plate for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Top with cheese and microwave each plate for 45 to 60 seconds or until cheese melts in the center of plate.

Meanwhile, chop and combine cilantro and green onions. Sprinkle a 1/4 cup mixture over each of the heated plates. Put a dollop of sour cream in the center of each plate and surround with salsa fresca.

Sour Cream and Chicken Enchiladas

10 flour tortillas
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 (4 ounce) can green chiles, chopped
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, divided
5 green onions (including tops), chopped

Mix soups, chicken, chiles, sour cream and 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese. Set aside one third of the mixture for topping.

Fill each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons chicken mixture. Roll up and place seam side down, in a shallow casserole. Add topping that was set aside and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees until bubbly.

South of the Border Enchiladas

24 soft corn tortillas
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 white onion. finely chopped
1 1/2 cups grated Mexican cheese such as manchego (Monterey
    jack or mild Cheddar can be substituted), divided
1 pint sour cream
1 cup Chile Sauce (recipe below) mixed with 1 cup chicken broth

Prepare Chile Sauce (recipe below).

Mix the chicken, onion and 1 cup of the cheese.

Heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a skillet until the oil is medium hot.

Dip individual tortillas into the chile/broth sauce and heat in the skillet until you see they will fold. This will only take a few seconds.

Remove the tortillas and spread 2 tablespoons of the chicken, onion and cheese mixture on the tortilla, roll up and place in the rectangular dish. Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas.

Mix the remaining chile/broth sauce with the sour cream and pour over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake in a 350 degree oven until bubbly. Garnish with springs of fresh cilantro or strips of hot or mild peppers. Serve hot.

Chile Sauce

4 or 5 ancho or pasilla chiles
2 cups water
1 clove garlic

Place chiles in a pan with the water and garlic. Bring the water to a boil, cover, turn off the flame and let sit for at least 20 minutes or until soft.

Put the chiles, garlic and the water you boiled them in into a blender and blend until the sauce is smooth. Add salt to taste.

This sauce can be made in quarts and kept almost forever in the refrigerator. It has many uses.,/font>

Chicken Flautas (Flautas de Pollo)

12 ounces cooked, shredded chicken
1/4 cup chopped fresh poblano pepper or Anaheim pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano or
    1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash ground cinnamon
Dash ground cloves
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking oil for frying
Shredded lettuce
Salsa
Dairy sour cream
1 ripe avocado, seeded, peeled and sliced

Filling: In a medium skillet cook meat, pepper, onion, and garlic until no pink remains. Drain fat. Stir in oregano, cumin, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Cover; cook over low heat for 3 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.

Meanwhile, stack tortillas and wrap tightly in foil. Warm in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes to soften.

For each flauta, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the meat filling lengthwise down the center of the tortilla. Roll up lightly; secure with a wooden pick.

In a large skillet heat about 1/2 inch of oil over medium-high heat until a small piece of tortilla or bread sizzles when dropped into oil. Fry 3 or 4 flautas at a time, about 3 minutes or until crisp and golden, turning once. Use tongs to lift flautas from oil, tipping carefully to allow fat to drain out of each end. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a 300 degree F oven while frying remaining flautas.

To serve, remove wooden picks. Serve on shredded lettuce with salsa, sour cream, and avocado slices.

Makes 4 servings.

Chicken-Chile Cheesecake

1 1/3 cups finely crushed tortilla chips
1/4 cup butter, melted
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced scallions
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken*
4 roasted green chiles, skins and seeds
    removed, chopped, or 2 (4 ounce) cans
    chopped green chiles, drained
1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (16 ounce) ctn. sour cream
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Garnish: minced scallions
Picante sauce

* Make sure the chicken is finely shredded.

Combine tortilla chips and butter; press on bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese at high speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in chili powder and next 3 ingredients.

Pour half of cream cheese mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle with chicken, chiles and cheese; carefully pour remaining cream cheese mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300 degrees F, and bake an additional hour or until set.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Combine sour cream and seasoned salt, stirring well; spread evenly on top of cheesecake. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Garnish.

Serve with picante sauce, if desired.

Tablecloth-Stainer Chicken (Mancha Manteles de Pollo)

2 dried mulatto chiles, toasted, seeded, de-veined, rinsed
1 cup boiling water
2 small sweet potatoes, pared
2 medium tomatoes, broiled
1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1 broiler-fryer chicken, cut into quarters
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 cup cubed, pared fresh pineapple
1 tart apple, pared and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Lime wedges 

Place chiles in small bowl with boiling water; let stand 1 hour.

Cut potatoes lengthwise into quarter; cut quarter crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place chiles and 1/3 cup of the soaking water in blender container; discard remaining water. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic and cinnamon; process until smooth.

Heat lard in deep 10-inch skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook 1/2 chicken at a time, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes; remove chicken to plate. Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add chile mixture to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add stock; heat over high heat to boiling. Add chicken, potatoes, pineapple and apple to skillet; simmer, covered, over low heat until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes.

Remove chicken, potatoes and fruits to deep serving plates, dividing evenly; keep warm, covered.

Skim and discard fat from cooking liquid. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until sauce is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in salt. Spoon sauce over chicken; garnish with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and Bolillos.

Spicy Shredded Chicken Filling (Relleno de Pollo Sazonado)

This filling is particularly delicious in flautas, tacos and enchiladas.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 jalapeno chiles, minced (no seeds)
1 onion, chopped
6 small tomatoes, chopped
Shredded chicken from 2 breasts
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup chicken broth

In a Dutch oven heat olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic, chiles and onion until soft but not browned.

Add tomatoes, shredded chicken, oregano, salt and enough chicken broth to barely cover the ingredients. Simmer, stirring frequently, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.

Yields about 2 1/2 cups shredded filling.