My Mommy's Enchiladies
I remember the first day my mommy made her famous enchiladies for me. I was a little baby in the bathtub playing with my rubber dinosaur and feeling hungry. After my mommy got me out and dried me off she gave me these big wet rolls full of yummy cheese. As a cheese loving three-year-old I couldn’t get enough and made her make them for me every night for weeks until I impacted my bowels. Despite this early clogged-colon episode these enchiladies accompanied every milestone of my childhood.
Enchiladies every birthday.
Red and green enchiladies for Christmas.
Turkey enchiladies for Thanksgiving.
Ham enchiladies for Easter.
Celebratory ribeye steak enchiladies for good report cards. Consoling chicken enchiladies for bad ones.
When I was seven Donnie Johnson kicked me in the forehead with his cleats for calling him Donnie Johnnie Donnie Johnnie Donnie Johnnie on the soccer field and my mommy made me extra special enchiladies when I got home from the doctor. The hot cheese burned my tongue, a happy distraction from the itchy stitches the doctor put in.
When I was nine I took my first plane ride. My mommy snuck some enchiladies through security. Even dry, cold, congealed, those enchiladies made that flight fifteen-thousand feet of fun.
After my grandparents died she wore a sombrero and served enchiladies to everyone at the funeral to force them to feel better.
First and last days of every school year.
Every Sunday night to end the weekend.
Breakfast enchiladies before every high school basketball game.
I had them the day I entered sexual adulthood. I asked my mommy to whip up a fresh batch before Lizzie Dawson came over so they’d be ready when we were done doing it. I was so nervous! But laying in my bed in our underwear afterwards -- stinky, self-conscious, feeding each other enchiladies -- was and always will be the happiest I’ve ever been.
When I went away to college my mommy packed a cooler full of frozen enchiladies to take with me. I thawed and ate one every day my first six months of freshman year to remind me of home.
As you can see my mommy made a lot of enchiladies in my lifetime, but this is the recipe she made that very first time when I was a happy little baby.
My Mommy’s Enchiladies:
Enchiladie Sauce:
Ingredients
2 Cups beef broth (ready made or from bouillon) or chicken or vegetable broth (same)
4 Tablespoons flour (not whole wheat) or 1 to 2 Tablespoons corn starch
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce – DO NOT use Italian style
1 half Cup chopped onions
2 to 3 cloves chopped/mashed garlic
2 Tablespoons oil (I use Canola or vegetable oil) – olive oil changes the flavor
2 to 3 Tablespoons chili powder (I usually use 2)
1 half teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 half teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Saute onion and chili powder, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Whisk flour or corn starch into cooled stock and then into oil mixture. Add rest of ingredients, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Makes enough sauce for 1 dozen enchiladies. You can make the sauce ahead and freeze or keep in the refrigerator 2 to 3 days. Reheat before using.
Enchiladies:
Ingredients:
Prepared sauce
1 dozen corn tortillas (I prefer yellow corn tortillas)
16 oz sharp cheddar cheese – or I like to use half sharp cheddar and half pepper jack
1 can black olives – sliced
1 small bunch green onions – sliced
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
I like to prep the tortillas by dipping each one in hot oil for about a minute just until they start to firm up a bit (not crispy) and drain on paper towels until cool. You can skip this step but I find they break apart when you try to roll them or they absorb too much sauce and turn to mush when you try to roll them.
Dip each tortilla into warm sauce and stack on plate.
Grate cheese into large bowl and add olives and onions, mix well.
Place a hand-full of cheese mixture onto each tortilla and roll up. Put seam side down in baking dish.
Pour remaining sauce from pan over tortillas in baking dish and then sprinkle with any remaining cheese mixture.
Cover with foil and bake 30 to 45 minutes.
Let set about 10 minutes before serving.
Now you’re ready for the best enchiladies!
