Beef Enchiladas - Test Kitchen Style

Everyone loves enchiladas.  And for good reason as they taste incredible, use relatively inexpensive ingredients and make great leftovers.  However there are many receipes out there that use canned sauce, or worse the canned "cheese" goop.  In all fairness we are guilty of making them using those shortcut/processed ingredients, but we were young and didn't know better or think anything of it.

A few years ago we were given "The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2008" which included a recipe for Authentic Beef Enchiladas, that's right authentic...no processed cheese-like ingredients.  They take time, about 2 hours total for all of the steps, so they are ideally suited for a weekend dinner.  They are definitely worth the time.

Beef Enchiladas

From The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2008

Serves 4 to 6

• 3 garlic cloves, minced - saute unpeeled 10min
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sugar
• kosher salt to taste
• 1.5 lbs top blade steak
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions chopped - saute 5min
• 1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeno peppers
• 8 (6-in) corn tortillas

Combine the garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, sugar, and 1 tsp salt in small bowl.  Pat the meat dry with paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Heat the oil in the dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Sear the meat on all sides for about 6 min total.  Transfer the meat to a plate.  Add the onions to the pot and cook over medium heat for about 5 min.  Stir in the garlic mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 min.  Add the tomato sauce and water, bring to a boil.  Return the meat and juices to the pot, cover, reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer until the meat is tender and can be broken apart with a wooden spoon, about 1.5 hours. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees, place rack in middle position.  Strain the beef mixture over a medium bowl, breaking the meat into small pieces, reserve the sauce.  Transfer the meat to a bowl and mix with 1 cup of the cheese, cilantro and jalapeno.

Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 13x9in baking dish.  Microwave 6 tortillas on a plate on high until soft, about 45 seconds.  Spread 1/3 cup of the beef mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll the tortilla tightly, and set in the baking dish, seam side down.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas or however much of the mixture you have.  Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas and spread as evenly as you can.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese evenly over the enchiladas and maybe sprinkle on a few jalapeno slices if you like. 

Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 min.  Remove the foil and continue baking for another 5-10 min or until the cheese has browned. 

Let it stand for about 10 min and serve.

Enjoy!
-Dan

Chipotle Meatballs

After watching Rick Bayless win Top Chef Masters a couple of years ago we thought it would be fun to try out some of his creations and picked up his Mexican Everyday cookbook.  Our first test was his Chipotle Meatballs and they were an excellent recipe to add to our normal mix.  A very easy and tasty way to change up the typical meatballs and give them a distinct Mexican flavor.  We made rice and black beans to go alongside.

Chipotle Meatballs

From Rick Bayless

3 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 large eggs
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
Kosher Salt
1 lb ground pork or beef
1/4 cup mint leaves
One 28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 or 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobe
1 or 2 tsp chipotle canning sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup chicken or beef broth

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a food processor combine the bacon, 1 garlic clove and process until finely chopped.  Add the eggs, bread crumbs and 1 tsp salt.  Pulse several times to combine, then add the meat and mint.  Pulse a few more times until everything is well combined but not a paste.

With wet hands, form the meat into 15 plum-size balls, spacing them out evenly in 3 by 5 rows in a 13x9 baking dish.  Bake until browned, about 15 min.

While the meatballs are cooking, clean the food processor then combine the tomatoes with their juice, chipotles, canning sauce, oregano, 2 garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp salt.  Blend for a min or so until combined. 

When the meatballs are done, add the tomato mixture and bake for another 15 min.  Microwave the broth about a minute or so, then add to the sauce and mix by hand.  Serve immedately. 

All in all a great recipe, and very easy to make on a week night, as the total cook and prep time is about 45 min.  We did reduce the chiles to 1 and found there was still plenty of heat to give it a nice spicy taste.  Also, reducing the amount of broth gives the sauce a more soup consistency instead of a more liquidy one. 

Enjoy!
-Dan