Shane's Amaaaazing Enchiladas

Happy Birthday Mom! Last night my husband and I returned from a super evening at my parent's house. We were celebrating my beautiful mother's birthday with my son, Shane and his very sweet and delightfully fun girlfriend, Rachel. This was a special evening on two counts, the aforementioned birthday girl and my son cooking enchiladas. I should first say that until now, and Shane is 26 years old, I have only seen him cook grilled cheese sandwiches, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and reheating pizza. He made fabulous (and I'm not just saying that because he's mine) enchiladas completely from scratch. The sauce was delicious, very similar to Mole Sauce, with perfect color and consistency. The enchiladas had just the right amount of cheese filling and were perfectly executed.

Rachel's contribution to our meal, and the topping for the enchiladas, was very tasty and spicy Chili con Queso (In queso emergency, my corny joke). Mom made her famous Burracho Beans and a beautiful sweet and tangy Corn Relish Salad. I made White Spanish Rice and Mom's birthday cake, a rich and decadent Chocolate Ganache Cake. The photos are making me hungry again!

Shane's Cheese Enchiladas adapted from Robb Walsh Tex-Mex Cookbook

Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 C Lard (or vegetable oil)

1/4 C Flour

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano is preferred if it's available)

2 T chile powder (either homemade or a dark brand such as Gebhardt's or Whole Foods)

2 C chicken broth (or water)

Generous dash Tony's Creole Seasoning

Generous dash cayenne

Generous dashes Chalula Hot Sauce

Method:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.

Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients.

Add chicken broth or water and Chalula Hot Sauce, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add water to adjust the thickness. Makes 2 cups.

Cheese Enchiladas Ingredients:

1/2 C vegetable oil 8 corn tortillas

Velveeta cheese, cut into 1/4 inch sticks (for extra melting oomph and good ol' Tex-Mex authenticity

3 C shredded cheddar and/or Monterrey jack cheese

2 C Sauce (recipe above)

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Pour the oil in a small skillet, and heat the tortillas one at a time. Keep them wrapped in a cloth until all 8 are heated. Pour 1/2 C of Sauce in baking pan.

Take a tortilla, put 2-3 Velveeta cheese sticks and small sprinkle of shredded cheese mixture in the center and roll it.

Place rolled tortilla in baking dish, seam side down.

Continue with remaining tortillas.

Take remaining Chile Sauce, and pour it over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake for 10 minutes or until sauce and cheese is bubbly and cheese is melted.

Makes 8 enchiladas. Recipe can easily be doubled Mom's Cheater Borracho Beans

My mother is an incredible cook and my inspiration. The care, detail and love she puts into her cooking shows with every meal and she is never afraid to try new creations. Her beans she makes from scratch are terrific and I have never found any I like better. Remember, this was her birthday celebration and we had to keep prying things out of her hands for us to handle. The sneaky little rascal threw some beans together in spite of us. Knowing she was going to be scolded - she cheated with this recipe. I will be cheating with this recipe from now on. They were still really good. Cheating how - well the beans came from a can, then she did her usual and turned them into something grand. I know, I know, they're beans so what's the big deal? Try them, they are delicious.

Cheater Borracho Beans

2 15 oz cans Trappy's Pinto Beans 1 can stewed tomatoes - drained

1/2 of a large onion, diced and lightly sauted in a little oil 10-12 slices of jarred Jalapenos

1 T. Tony's Creole Seasoning

1-1/2 tsp cumin

1 T Chile powder Salt & Pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to crockpot to simmer for 2-3 hours.

Then, she got into more trouble for her birthday and created this salad.

Corn Fiesta Salad 2 ribs celery, about 1/2 Cup 1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 small onion, diced 1/4 C red and/or green pepper, diced 1/2 C sliced black olives 1 cucumber, peeled and diced 3-4 T jalapeno, finely diced (optional) 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional) Pepper to taste small bottle Catalina dressing

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Great to make ahead, the flavors just get better!

White Spanish Rice

1/2 med. onion, diced

2 lg cloves of garlic, diced

1 C long grain rice

1 C chicken broth

1 C water

1 large Poblano Pepper, roasted, peeled and diced

1 tsp cumin

1 T. Fiesta brand, Spanish Rice Seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

Dry saute onion, garlic and rice until rice begins to toast. Add chicken broth, water, poblano pepper, and seasonings. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cover for 15-20 minutes.

Remove lid, fluff rice with a fork and serve.

Chocolate Ganache Cake

Ina Garten's recipe, it's rich, decadent and beautiful. I can't mess with perfection! Can be found on http://www.foodtv.com/ This was one great meal with authentic Tex-Mex flavors from our family to yours, enjoy!

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Augustine's Chili Rellenos and Perfect Spanish Rice

We have been growing this idea for quite awhile!  After our drought this summer I thought the garden was a total loss.  Even the jalepenos we grew were not hot at all and worse, they literally had no flavor. Very Strange.



Then the rains came and everything changed.  We actually have grass growing again and all of the plants are happy happy happy.  My jalepenos not only have flavor but they are nice and hot!  My poblano plants started budding out and growing big and beautiful peppers.  It has rained for weeks now, somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 to 12 inches, depending on who you talk to.  Today, at our house, it's 3 inches so far!  My poor garden is confused about what time of year it is and we are reaping the benefits! 



Since my summer garden is finally producing these beautiful poblano peppers, we have been watching and waiting with anticipation to harvest and make our dear friend's Chili Rellenos.  I have always wanted to make them, but I think it's one of those things that is best learned from a friend, hands on, not from a cookbook. 

After picking them and washing them, it was time to roast them!  I love this part.  I turn on all the burners and stradel the flame with the peppers, turning them over and over until they are completely black(if you don't have a gas stove, you can do this under the broiler or on your grill outside).  As soon as one is blackened, it gets tossed into a bowl and covered with a large plate until I finish all of them.  The steam in the bowl losens the charred skins so they can easily be peeled.   The house fills with the most amazing aroma and my poor husband has to listen to me everytime he passes through the kitchen.  "Doesn't this make your mouth water", "They are so beautiful", "Can you smell these", "Oh, come look!"  Poor guy, this is my normal routine and we have been through this many many times.  We will go through this many more times in the years to come.  He knows this.  I gotta hand it to him though, he feigns excitement just for me.

It's my personal preference, but I do not hold the peppers under the water to remove the charred skins.  I am afraid they might lose some of their amazing flavor.  I scrap off the outside with my fingers and rinse the charred pieces off of my hands under the water.  The peppers are then split down one side, opened up and the seeds are then removed.  We pat them dry, just in case, so we don't get splattered when it's time to fry.

My mouth is watering again!



The poblanos are then filled with Panella or Oaxaca cheese and secure with tooth picks.  They are rolled in plain flour and set aside.  Meanwhile, August instructed me to seperate some eggs.  Whites in one bowl, yolks in the other.  One of the best things about August's Chili Rellenos, is that the batter doesn't fall off.  The technique that I learn is new to me and it works!  The whites are beaten (with a mixer unless you are a marathon mixer) to very soft peaks.  Basically, super foamy.  The yolks are beat seperately.  Then whites and yolks are gently combined.  You'll want to hold off doing this until just before you fry.

He's such a cutie!!  I am learning from the Master!!

That's me pretending I'm actually doing something.

Remember we dusted them with flour.  Combined the whites and the yolks.  August then dipped the floured poblanos into the egg mixture to coat and carefully layed them in the hot oil (we used Canola).  They are fried until they are light golden brown and just like he said, the batter stayed on!  Amazing!!

Earlier, August started his beautiful Spanish Rice.  This rice is the most delicate, fluffy, tender rice I have ever had!   He heated a large pan over a med-high heat.  The rice is added to a dry pan.  Tossed around with a spoon to keep it from burning.  Added chopped fresh garlic and onion, dry sauted that too.  Meanwhile, it a seperate sauce pan he heated water.  The hot water was then added to the rice along with the seasonings.  Do not stir the rice, cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce heat to low and simmer until the liquid is absorbed.  What a HUGE difference.  The hot water added to the rice, instead of cold water, August said, keeps the rice from getting sticky.  The lack of any kind of fat helps too.  He's right, it was perfect!

Taaa-Daaaaaaa!

August served the Chili Rellenos with fresh tomatillo sauce he brought with him from home.  Sprinkled them with fresh pomegranet seeds he brought from his mother's garden.  And it was amazing! 

Augustine's Most Tender Spanish Rice

1 Cup rice

2-3 Cups VERY HOT water

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/4 onion, finely diced

1 Tbl. Knorr Caldo de Pollo (Chicken Boullion)

2 Tbl. Fideo Ole'

1 tsp Cumin powder

2 -3 Tbl Cilantro, roughly chopped

Heat water in a sauce pan.  In a seperate pan, toast rice in a dry pan on med-high heat.  When it starts to change color add garlic and onion. Saute for a few minutes longer.  Add hot water to rice.  Season with chicken bullion, Fideo Ole' and cumin.  Cover pan with a tight fitting lid.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, try not to mess with it!  Once rice is cooked, remove lid, toss with cilantro and serve.

Thank you August!  That was a fabulous meal!  Great Food and Great Friends....perfect evening!

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