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rachelellen_gw

Lazy Enchiladas & Red Sauce

rachelellen
16 years ago

In another thread (I forget which) someone (I forget who) asked me for my red sauce recipe...Gawd, I'm this bad at 47, what am I going to be like at 70?? :P Never having written it down, I promised I would next time I made it. As long as I was writing anyway, I wrote up the recipe for the Lazy Enchiladas brunch I made this morning.

Lazy Enchiladas

Corn tortillas

Grated mild white cheese (I used pepper jack)

Grated cheddar cheese (I used Sharp)

Red Sauce

Dip a tortilla in the hot red sauce until it softens a bit (be careful, if you leave it in too long, it can get too soft to get out and fall into bitsdonÂt ask me how I know this), and put on a pre-warmed plate. Strew a layer of grated cheese on top, and put another sauce-soaked tortilla on top of that. Make as many layers as you like per servingÂif youÂre serving the whole brunch menu, 2 layers is fine unless youÂre a big eater. On the top, pour a ladle of sauce, and sprinkle with more cheese. Add a portion of beans (sprinkled with more cheese), cover with another plate or a pot cover and put in a warm oven. Repeat with a plate for each person.

Now is the time to either make your own fresh salsa or set the table with your favorite jarred salsa, set out the sour cream, chips, fruitÂwhatever youÂre serving with the brunch. Before frying the eggs, lift a corner of one enchilada to make sure the cheese is well melted. If it isnÂt, cover the plate with saran wrap and zap it in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. If the cheese is nicely melted put the plate(s) back in the oven while you fry one or two eggs for each plate. I like them over easy, so thereÂs plenty of runny yolk to spoon up with beans etc, but thatÂs up to you.

Lazy Refried Beans

1 15 oz can S&W Pinquitos (pre seasoned pink beans) per every 2 servings

2 T bacon fat per can. Yes you can sub other fat but it wonÂt taste as good. If youÂre worried about the fat content, you can cut down on the fat, but again, it wonÂt taste as good.

Puree the pinquitos coarsely, with the liquid in the can, do not drain the beans! Heat the fat, and when hot but not smoking, add the bean puree and fry until thoroughly heated. Put on plates and sprinkle with more cheese.

Red Sauce

One medium onion, diced

3-6 garlic cloves

2 15 oz cans tomato sauce

3 or 4 dried Guajillo chilis

1 dried Pasila (ancho) chili

2 dried California Chili

1 t garlic powder

2 T sugar (or to taste)

1 T dried oregano rubbed into dust or a handful of fresh oregano leaves, minced very fine

Salt to taste

2-3 T vegetable oil (depends on the size of your pan)

Soak the chilis in warm water, submerging them with a weight for about 20 minutes. Remove stems, open the chilis and remove seeds and fleshy ribs.

Put the chilis, onion & garlic in a food processor or blender with just enough water to help puree the ingredients. This should be a fairly smooth puree, with few if any recognizable scraps of chili.

Heat oil in a deep saute pan. When hot but not smoking, add the chili-onion puree and saute until the raw smell is goneÂabout 10 minutes on med-high.

Add the tomato sauce, garlic powder, & oregano, bring to a fast simmer, reduce heat to medium and partially cover, stirring occasionally to make sure the bottom doesnÂt stick and scorch for about 10 minutes.

Taste, and then add sugar and salt to correct flavoring. Dried chilis vary in "heat", even from chili to chili not only from variety to variety. If your sauce is too spicy, use more sugar. If youÂve substituted your own tomato sauce, and itÂs sweeter than the usual canned, you may need less.

This red sauce recipe makes a fairly thick sauce, with a heavier chili flavor than many. The first time you make it, be sure and have an extra can of tomato sauce in case you want to lighten it up a little.

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