Cheese Enchiladas

[mchookem 16336]

well. i have unsurprisingly been unable to find an adequate Texmex enchilada here in Denver. i mean i knew it was a long shot but i kept thinking, hey, this is a big city, surely there's some mom-and-pop hole in the wall place with folks from the valley or San Antonio or somewhere who opened a secret true Texmex joint here.

alas...no. while we have found very delicious Mexican food of the NM/CO variety...sadly no joy on the enchiladas. the key missing ingredient imo is the chili con carne... it's been replaced with green chili in every dish 😐

anyway... so tonight i am attempting my own enchiladas. American cheese, meat gravy, and onions baked on top!

my inspiration...

using the ISD recipe as a base...wish me luck! 😜

[tx 3 putt 76958]

[Texzilla58 4735]

well. i have unsurprisingly been unable to find an adequate Texmex enchilada here in Denver. i mean i knew it was a long shot but i kept thinking, hey, this is a big city, surely there's some mom-and-pop hole in the wall place with folks from the valley or San Antonio or somewhere who opened a secret true Texmex joint here.
alas...no. while we have found very delicious Mexican food of the NM/CO variety...sadly no joy on the enchiladas. the key missing ingredient imo is the chili con carne... it's been replaced with green chili in every dish
anyway... so tonight i am attempting my own enchiladas. American cheese, meat gravy, and onions baked on top!
my inspiration...

using the ISD recipe as a base...wish me luck!

That looks great!

Having spent a goodly amount of my adult life as a misplaced Texan in places devoid of anything remotely Tex Mex, cooking it yourself is the only remedy. At least now the internet provides resources. There were times I was coming home for a visit and leaving with an extra suitcase from a visit to Pendery’s, some masa, chipotles en adobo, etc.

The worst are the places that claim to be TexMex. I bet you have tried Rio Grande downtown. The name, the marketing, Uhh no. Wtf is that shit? It’s just a margarita bar. Sorry a shishito taco, great as that sounds, ain’t a god mandated combo platter.

You can admit it if you’ve gone to Chuy’s for a fix. When I lived in Denver I would have had my ass there. When we lived in San Francisco we drove once a couple hours to get to an On the Border. Unfortunately it had been californicated. If you’ve never lived more than twenty minutes from your Tex Mex joint or great bbq you don’t understand the jonesing for it.

[Brisketexan 105139]

55 minutes ago, Texzilla58 said:

That looks great!

Having spent a goodly amount of my adult life as a misplaced Texan in places devoid of anything remotely Tex Mex, cooking it yourself is the only remedy. At least now the internet provides resources. There were times I was coming home for a visit and leaving with an extra suitcase from a visit to Pendery’s, some masa, chipotles en adobo, etc.

The worst are the places that claim to be TexMex. I bet you have tried Rio Grande downtown. The name, the marketing, Uhh no. Wtf is that shit? It’s just a margarita bar. Sorry a shishito taco, great as that sounds, ain’t a god mandated combo platter.

You can admit it if you’ve gone to Chuy’s for a fix. When I lived in Denver I would have had my ass there. When we lived in San Francisco we drove once a couple hours to get to an On the Border. Unfortunately it had been californicated. If you’ve never lived more than twenty minutes from your Tex Mex joint or great bbq you don’t understand the jonesing for it.

Amen.  Both kids live overseas now, where tex-mex isn't a thing.  But they've each learned 1) how to make their own tortillas, 2) how to make chili gravy from scratch, and 3) what kind of cheese to buy (they can usually find something suitable).  So, they can each make a pan full  of beef or cheese enchiladas with chili gravy, and they're invariably a hit with their friends.  An easy dish to make and impress with is always a good go-to.

Shit, I didn't even know the boy knew how to make his own chili gravy.  He told me "yeah, I wanted some enchiladas, so I messed around with some recipes and ingredients and figured it out."  I didn't know he had it in him.

[jimmyjazz 45953]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Shit, I didn't even know the boy knew how to make his own chili gravy.  He told me "yeah, I wanted some enchiladas, so I messed around with some recipes and ingredients and figured it out."  I didn't know he had it in him.

Love it.  My son worked at Thundercloud and Chi'Lantro in HS.  Both of them taught him bits of cooking, but in particular Chi'Lantro.  

One day I wandered into our kitchen and he had all kinds of shit going on.  Raw chicken, spices, onions, tortillas, whatever.  It was a mess.  "What the hell are you doing?"  "Well, I wanted some fajitas but they're super expensive, so I went to HEB and bought what I thought I needed".

I'll be damned if his chicken fajitas weren't pretty good.  It's good to see kids extrapolate.  Yeah, I know, "chicken".  At that age the difference between $3/lb and $9/lb is pretty profound.  (Still is for me.)

Edited October 14, 2022 by jimmyjazz

[mchookem 16336]

yep it's going down. somebody said something about heating the tortillas in the oven all at once, good tip 🤘

 

couldn't find anything but sliced American cheese so im going hardcore with the Velveeta lol

ready for oven, I'll add chili con carne, onions and cheese to finish, be back to post results in a while 🙂

also, got my bacon fat for the refried beans 😄 hey I did the work in the gym this week! 😋

Edited October 15, 2022 by mchookem

[Brisketexan 105139]

32 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Yeah, I know, "chicken".  At that age the difference between $3/lb and $9/lb is pretty profound.  (Still is for me.)

Watching both of our kids realize "wait....I only have $X a month, and if I want to stretch it, I need to shot SMART" was cool.  They became bargain food shoppers REALLY fast, and they've both done a good job of coming up with some pretty good stuff on a budget.

 

MC, looking good there.  That velveeta's gonna run on you, though -- it'll melt and spill out of the ends really fast, even faster than American would.  It's still damned tasty, just thinking that may happen to you.

[mchookem 16336]

10 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

MC, looking good there.  That velveeta's gonna run on you, though -- it'll melt and spill out of the ends really fast, even faster than American would.  It's still damned tasty, just thinking that may happen to you.

yikes. well...it'll just melt into all the other stuff i guess lol. enchilada casserole! as long as the flavor is there 😊

[mchookem 16336]

so a couple things...i should have put the layers enchiladas, sauce, gravy, cheese, onions...for some reason i did enchiladas, sauce, cheese, onions, gravy lol. made me miss out on the crispy onions under the broiler touch, but that can be fixed. velveeta held up pretty well, just gooey enough.

really should have had the gravy simmering separately and added it with the cheese and onions right at the end, and added more of it. may try for leftovers tomorrow 😁

as for the recipe...pretty damn close to what i was going for, which was in the neighborhood of EyM. i think i'd cut the tomato paste in the gravy, it was a tad tart. and i did add more of several of the spices... the recipe wasn't nearly spicy enough. 

i'd really like to find shredded american or velveeta for next time. 

they were messy to serve, but everyone cleaned their plates, like use a tortilla to sop it all up clean. 

overall, 8/10. which is better than anything I've had here 😁 will try again!

 

[mchookem 16336]

8 hours ago, Texzilla58 said:

You can admit it if you’ve gone to Chuy’s for a fix. When I lived in Denver I would have had my ass there. When we lived in San Francisco we drove once a couple hours to get to an On the Border. Unfortunately it had been californicated. If you’ve never lived more than twenty minutes from your Tex Mex joint or great bbq you don’t understand the jonesing for it.

we have not yet... but i have mapped it out, the closest one, and while i may not order enchiladas bc even Chuy's is not what i want in that category...

i will be ordering a chuychanga with deluxe tomatillo sauce and the jalapeno ranch, which I have been ordering for 30 years... and that's the sort of thing i think i'll miss, the very specific.

Edited October 15, 2022 by mchookem

[ztejas 43448]

1 hour ago, mchookem said:

so a couple things...i should have put the layers enchiladas, sauce, gravy, cheese, onions...for some reason i did enchiladas, sauce, cheese, onions, gravy lol. made me miss out on the crispy onions under the broiler touch, but that can be fixed. velveeta held up pretty well, just gooey enough.

really should have had the gravy simmering separately and added it with the cheese and onions right at the end, and added more of it. may try for leftovers tomorrow 😁

as for the recipe...pretty damn close to what i was going for, which was in the neighborhood of EyM. i think i'd cut the tomato paste in the gravy, it was a tad tart. and i did add more of several of the spices... the recipe wasn't nearly spicy enough. 

i'd really like to find shredded american or velveeta for next time. 

they were messy to serve, but everyone cleaned their plates, like use a tortilla to sop it all up clean. 

overall, 8/10. which is better than anything I've had here 😁 will try again!

 

That ain't it but I feel like you're close with some tweaks. Keep at it. 

[shnsajax 3591]

9 hours ago, Texzilla58 said:

That looks great!

Having spent a goodly amount of my adult life as a misplaced Texan in places devoid of anything remotely Tex Mex, cooking it yourself is the only remedy. At least now the internet provides resources. There were times I was coming home for a visit and leaving with an extra suitcase from a visit to Pendery’s, some masa, chipotles en adobo, etc.

The worst are the places that claim to be TexMex. I bet you have tried Rio Grande downtown. The name, the marketing, Uhh no. Wtf is that shit? It’s just a margarita bar. Sorry a shishito taco, great as that sounds, ain’t a god mandated combo platter.

You can admit it if you’ve gone to Chuy’s for a fix. When I lived in Denver I would have had my ass there. When we lived in San Francisco we drove once a couple hours to get to an On the Border. Unfortunately it had been californicated. If you’ve never lived more than twenty minutes from your Tex Mex joint or great bbq you don’t understand the jonesing for it.

This looks 10x better than the shit I can get in Boise. They actually serve the refried beans with the chips and salsa here except its always watered down, and I really have no fucking clue why every restaurant does this.

Edited October 15, 2022 by shnsajax

[tx 3 putt 76958]

warming up your tortillas in the oven, very interesting 

 

[dcbc 14484]

warming up your tortillas in the oven, very interesting 
 

I started doing that as well after someone mentioned it upthread. Helps keep the tortillas from falling apart.

[dcbc 14484]

8 hours ago, mchookem said:

so a couple things...i should have put the layers enchiladas, sauce, gravy, cheese, onions...for some reason i did enchiladas, sauce, cheese, onions, gravy lol. made me miss out on the crispy onions under the broiler touch, but that can be fixed. velveeta held up pretty well, just gooey enough.

really should have had the gravy simmering separately and added it with the cheese and onions right at the end, and added more of it. may try for leftovers tomorrow 😁

as for the recipe...pretty damn close to what i was going for, which was in the neighborhood of EyM. i think i'd cut the tomato paste in the gravy, it was a tad tart. and i did add more of several of the spices... the recipe wasn't nearly spicy enough. 

i'd really like to find shredded american or velveeta for next time. 

they were messy to serve, but everyone cleaned their plates, like use a tortilla to sop it all up clean. 

overall, 8/10. which is better than anything I've had here 😁 will try again!

 

I'm no pro, and I'm probably doing it wrong, but for all but straight cheese enchiladas, once my gravy is ready, I pour it over my meat/onion/chilies filler that has been cooking in a separate pan and let it simmer while I get my tortillas ready.  Then I fill my tortillas with that simmering mixture of goodness and cheese.  When I have the pan filled, I pour the remaining meat/onion/gravy mixture over the top and top that with cheese. 

[Texzilla58 4735]

This looks 10x better than the shit I can get in Boise. They actually serve the refried beans with the chips and salsa here except its always watered down, and I really have no fucking clue why every restaurant does this.

Having lived or visited all over the country, it’s amazing how bad Mexican food, of any type, is in many parts of the country. Packed big joints serving shit right out of a 60’s women’s magazine. Any Texan about to live as an expat should prepare on how to deal with their new reality. A Lisa Fain membership and a few Robb Walsh cookbooks can help.

[jimmyjazz 45953]

I think Mexican is more complicated than most people want to cook.  It's why I go out to get it 90% of the time.  Any fool can learn to smoke a brisket or pork butt to some degree of decent, but even semi-authentic Mexican or TexMex takes effort.  If you're in Boise, and can open a can of "enchilada sauce", melt some velveeta, and brown up some ground beef, why try harder?

[Txslnghrns 1353]

Here’s my entry. Pretty much followed the NEISD recipe but made a couple of tweaks (lard with the flour mixture, beef broth instead of water, etc). Also, I ran out of cheese so the top looks incomplete. The enchiladas were packed full tho. Suffice to say that next time I know it will take at least four bags of Colby jack.



I made 2 batches. Think I may wake up tomorrow and throw an egg on top of one for breakfast.

[Anastasis 23469]

2 hours ago, Txslnghrns said:

Think I may wake up tomorrow and throw an egg on top of one for breakfast.

You magnificent bastard. 

[Texzilla58 4735]

Here’s my entry. Pretty much followed the NEISD recipe but made a couple of tweaks (lard with the flour mixture, beef broth instead of water, etc). Also, I ran out of cheese so the top looks incomplete. The enchiladas were packed full tho. Suffice to say that next time I know it will take at least four bags of Colby jack.



I made 2 batches. Think I may wake up tomorrow and throw an egg on top of one for breakfast.

These are a Texas treasure. Bravo!

Make sure to teach you kids how to make them. It’s like you’d be immortal.

[Steamboat1874 4063]

On 10/15/2022 at 6:02 AM, dcbc said:

On 10/15/2022 at 12:56 AM, tx 3 putt said:

warming up your tortillas in the oven, very interesting 
 

I started doing that as well after someone mentioned it upthread. Helps keep the tortillas from falling apart.

Yes and make sure you spray both sides with cooking spray.

 

Works great.

[Texzilla58 4735]

I still soften my tortillas in a pan with a shallow bit of oil.

I’ve not tried the other ways.

[Brisketexan 105139]

2 hours ago, Texzilla58 said:

I still soften my tortillas in a pan with a shallow bit of oil.

I’ve not tried the other ways.

I soften them in a pan of the heated sauce itself (I mean, it's SLIGHTLY healthier than using oil, and it's not inconsistent with many traditional recipes, which mirror the meaning of the word "enchilada," which is "chilied").

Heat up your chili sauce.  Dip tortilla in there for 5-10 seconds.  Remove, fill with cheese, roll.  Repeat till pan is full.  Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, top with more cheese, bake and you're done.

And yeah, this can be done with canned sauce -- if you have a good one, or if you use it as a base and doctor it up, or if you make your own, either way.  The Hatch canned red enchilada sauce is good enough if you're in a hurry, but yeah, making your own is almost always better.

There's lots of ways to do enchiladas, of course.  Most of the ones on the pages above are damned fine, too -- just sharing an alternative approach.

[Texzilla58 4735]

I soften them in a pan of the heated sauce itself (I mean, it's SLIGHTLY healthier than using oil, and it's not inconsistent with many traditional recipes, which mirror the meaning of the word "enchilada," which is "chilied").
Heat up your chili sauce.  Dip tortilla in there for 5-10 seconds.  Remove, fill with cheese, roll.  Repeat till pan is full.  Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, top with more cheese, bake and you're done.
And yeah, this can be done with canned sauce -- if you have a good one, or if you use it as a base and doctor it up, or if you make your own, either way.  The Hatch canned red enchilada sauce is good enough if you're in a hurry, but yeah, making your own is almost always better.
There's lots of ways to do enchiladas, of course.  Most of the ones on the pages above are damned fine, too -- just sharing an alternative approach.

I like the softening in sauce technique if using a thinner sauce, like if I’m using a verde sauce. My chili gravy is often just my modified chili so it’s a bit thick and slow to soften so I do the oil with them. I do a smoked pulled pork enchiladas which do great with the sauce method. Hatch makes a TexMex canned ench sauce I have used for a variety of things and it’s good in a pinch. Probably just their red sauce with ancho and cumin added.

And nothing burns me like yankee enchiladas where they roll dry tortillas and then spoon a little row of bad sauce on top, resulting in crunchy ends on the tortillas. Uhh…enchilada means….

[DalTxHornFan 3101]

The NEISD recipe says to steam the tortillas.  I did not have good results with that.  I always do the quick fry pan thing in oil, but am intrigued by the baking sheet in the oven approach.  That seems way more efficient when doing a big batch.  And it is always a big batch when I go to the trouble to do them.  Enchiladas freeze well.  

[HouTex 1867]

Microwave the tortillas in a bit of vegetable oil.  They come out perfectly.  

[baboso 6056]

14 minutes ago, HouTex said:

Microwave the tortillas in a bit of vegetable oil.  They come out perfectly.  

Mas informacion, senor.  Por favor.

[utee94 15823]

5 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

I soften them in a pan of the heated sauce itself (I mean, it's SLIGHTLY healthier than using oil, and it's not inconsistent with many traditional recipes, which mirror the meaning of the word "enchilada," which is "chilied").

Heat up your chili sauce.  Dip tortilla in there for 5-10 seconds.  Remove, fill with cheese, roll.  Repeat till pan is full.  Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, top with more cheese, bake and you're done.

And yeah, this can be done with canned sauce -- if you have a good one, or if you use it as a base and doctor it up, or if you make your own, either way.  The Hatch canned red enchilada sauce is good enough if you're in a hurry, but yeah, making your own is almost always better.

There's lots of ways to do enchiladas, of course.  Most of the ones on the pages above are damned fine, too -- just sharing an alternative approach.

This is a case of "Why Not Both?"  I use oil for a super-light fry, then dip quickly in the gravy, then go to the pan and hit it with the filling and roll it.  I've tried the microwave and oven methods and they just don't turn out as well, those tortillas are best if they are ever-so-lightly fried in the shallow pan of oil.  

[Texzilla58 4735]

This is a case of "Why Not Both?"  I use oil for a super-light fry, then dip quickly in the gravy, then go to the pan and hit it with the filling and roll it.  I've tried the microwave and oven methods and they just don't turn out as well, those tortillas are best if they are ever-so-lightly fried in the shallow pan of oil.  

This is a very correct way to do it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[thunderlounge 7832]

1 hour ago, utee94 said:

those tortillas are best if they are ever-so-lightly fried in the shallow pan of bacon grease.  

fify

[Txslnghrns 1353]

The NEISD recipe says to steam the tortillas.  I did not have good results with that.  I always do the quick fry pan thing in oil, but am intrigued by the baking sheet in the oven approach.  That seems way more efficient when doing a big batch.  And it is always a big batch when I go to the trouble to do them.  Enchiladas freeze well.  

Steaming the tortillas was one of the other things I didn’t follow from the NEISD recipe. I wanted to do the quick fry in the pan method but I made 24 enchiladas and I am lazy by nature. So I put a light drizzle of oil down in a large Tupperware. And I dragged each tortilla thru the oil to get a light coat on said tortillas. I then laid them out on some butcher paper as such.



I then utilized the oven method. I found it saved all the grease splatter inherent with frying anything. I then started laying cheese into the tortillas and found I could wrap six super fast.



As you can see to the right of the tortillas I circumvented the dipping in the sauce by layering the bottom of the pan with some sauce (again, lazy). I then followed up by pouring the chili sauce on top of the enchiladas and voila.



I also did do the egg on top for breakfast and my goodness…I almost forgot to take a pic.



The yolk marrying up with the cheese, chili, and tortilla……

[harold 81]

11 hours ago, baboso said:

Mas informacion, senor.  Por favor.

I brush each side of the tortillas with oil, wrap in paper towels, and microwave for 30 seconds.  Makes them pliable and easy to roll.  I notice no difference in quality since switching to this method from briefly pan frying.

[HouTex 1867]

12 minutes ago, harold said:

I brush each side of the tortillas with oil, wrap in paper towels, and microwave for 30 seconds.  Makes them pliable and easy to roll.  I notice no difference in quality since switching to this method from briefly pan frying.

Depending on how many I’m making, I may go up to a minute.  I also just put them on a plate with no paper towel.  I too see no difference between this method and the quick pan fry.  It’s way less messy and one less pan to clean.  

[thunderlounge 7832]

Sounds like some y’all need a griddle.

[Texzilla58 4735]

A dry griddle or pan doesn’t do the right thing to tortillas for enchiladas.

[dcbc 14484]

17 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

The NEISD recipe says to steam the tortillas.  I did not have good results with that.  I always do the quick fry pan thing in oil, but am intrigued by the baking sheet in the oven approach.  That seems way more efficient when doing a big batch.  And it is always a big batch when I go to the trouble to do them.  Enchiladas freeze well.  

About 2 minutes give or take at 350F seems to get them right for rolling. 

[Txslnghrns 1353]

Sounds like some y’all need a griddle.

[Anastasis 23469]

Griddle is a great idea and will knock out a big ass batch of tortillas all at once. 

[thunderlounge 7832]

3 hours ago, Txslnghrns said:

Guess a refresher is in order…

 

[Txslnghrns 1353]

Guess a refresher is in order…
 

I stand corrected. Very nice.

[BearCountry11 1234]

9 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

Guess a refresher is in order…

 

*heavy, slow breathing*

[thunderlounge 7832]

7 hours ago, Txslnghrns said:

I stand corrected. Very nice.

Gracias. 
 

Check the griddle thread, but got damn does it make all the bullshit everybody tries to work around way easier.

Griddle, bacon grease, pan and a lid. Easy cleanup.

 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18549]

You motherfuckers are way overcomplicating this shit.

You just grab a wad of paper towels and soak them in water. Unwad (de-wad?) them and wrap them around a stack of 5-8 corn tortillas. Throw it in the microwave for a bit to steam them up and then just pull off one by one as you need. Repeat until finished. 

This ain't exactly rocket surgery, here. 

 

[huge 3793]

43 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

You motherfuckers are way overcomplicating this shit.

You just grab a wad of paper towels and soak them in water. Unwad (de-wad?) them and wrap them around a stack of 5-8 corn tortillas. Throw it in the microwave for a bit to steam them up and then just pull off one by one as you need. Repeat until finished. 

This ain't exactly rocket surgery, here. 

 

Excellent cheese enchiladas seem to be rocket surgery, as most places cant pull it off.  Cheese enchiladas and brisket are the 2 things that I better know exactly what I am getting before I order it because dammit most places screw it up.

[Texzilla58 4735]

I ain’t eating enchiladas with tortillas steamed in a fucking microwave in a wet paper towel. That turns them into ench paste.

[tx 3 putt 76958]

On 10/19/2022 at 3:16 PM, thunderlounge said:

Guess a refresher is in order…

 

10 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

You motherfuckers are way overcomplicating this shit.

You just grab a wad of paper towels and soak them in water. Unwad (de-wad?) them and wrap them around a stack of 5-8 corn tortillas. Throw it in the microwave for a bit to steam them up and then just pull off one by one as you need. Repeat until finished. 

This ain't exactly rocket surgery, here. 

 

[Anastasis 23469]

The tortillas need some oil. imo.  I am not dogmatic about this, but it just seems right. 

[Anastasis 23469]

On 10/19/2022 at 3:16 PM, thunderlounge said:

Guess a refresher is in order…

 

 

I ordered this same pan after your post on the griddle thread. If it was another 1/2 inch in depth it would be the perfect enchilada pan imo and have more versatility. The deeper wall lodges are too small length to width imo and dont achieve the magical enchilada golden ratio  This one is just a bit too small in depth to be perfect, but a very fine pan.

Did you cook the enchiladas in the pan directly on the griddle?  Cause that could change everything.  I don't have a cover, but it appears that you do and I could certainly see getting that kinda back with the cover down.  Cover off, not going to happen. 

[Txslnghrns 1353]

Excellent cheese enchiladas seem to be rocket surgery, as most places cant pull it off.  Cheese enchiladas and brisket are the 2 things that I better know exactly what I am getting before I order it because dammit most places screw it up.

You mentioned brisket and…..Has anybody tried to smoke the cheese enchiladas like a brisket? Just give it a touch of smoke. I imagine it wouldn’t take long (30 minutes?) and could possibly yield good results if done right.

[dcbc 14484]

6 hours ago, Txslnghrns said:

You mentioned brisket and…..Has anybody tried to smoke the cheese enchiladas like a brisket? Just give it a touch of smoke. I imagine it wouldn’t take long (30 minutes?) and could possibly yield good results if done right.

I've used leftover brisket in the gravy to fill the enchiladas.  You get the smokey flavor without its being overpowering.