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New Mexico Hatch Red Chile Beef Enchiladas

Print Recipe
Course dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz (about 20-25 dried whole red New Mexican chile pods, mild, medium or hot, or a combination
  • 2-4 cups water
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1-2 tsps Mexican Oregano, crushed and 1 tsp salt or to taste

For the filling and assembly

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • oil for frying the corn tortillas
  • 1/2-1 lb cheddar cheese grated or a combination of cheddar and monterey jack (the amoun djust depends on how much cheese you want...some for stuffing and some for topping).
  • salt and pepper to season the ground beef
  • Prepared Red Chile Sauce

Instructions
 

For the Red Chile Sauce

  • Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chile pods. Toast the chile pods in a heavy skillet over medium heat until they are warm and release their fragrance, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
    Remove the chile pieces and place into a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the chile is soft.
    Remove the chile from the liquid and place into a blender or food processor. Blend until a smooth paste. Strain the paste, pushing through with the back of a spoon. This takes a few minutes. You just want to keep straining, pushing the puree through leaving behind any skin or seeds, adding a lilttle water if you need to.
    Warm the oil in a skillet, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is limp. Add the chile mixture to the onion mixture, along with the oregano and salt , adding more water. You want a pourable sauce, not a thick sauce.
    Cook for about 15 minutes, taste and adjust the seasonings. When ready the sauce will coat the back of a spoon but still be pourable. At this point I always strain again, pushing through the sauce, leaving behind any solids. This is not mandatory, but if I'm making enchiladas I want a very smooth sauce. Enjoy!


For the filling and assembly

  • Heat a large skillet with a little oil. When sizzling, place a corn tortilla in the oil for just a second to soften and remove to a paper towel. I place one side of the tortilla in oil, place the not oiled side up, repeat the process and put the oil side onto the unoiled previous tortilla. Sounds complicated, but not turning in the skillet and letting both sides into the oil helps with the tortillas holding together and to not fall apart...so basically your first tortilla is oil on the bottom, none on top but you'll top that with the oiled one, on and on. Set the tortillas aside.
  • Grate your cheese and chop your onions.
  • Cook your meat in a skillet with salt and pepper just until lightly browned.
  • Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Get a large baking dish or individual plates if you prefer. Line up all your ingredients so easy folding.
  • place a tortilla down on a flat surface. Add your desired amount of beef, onion and cheese. Roll the tortilla with the seam side down and place in the baking dish or in a plate. Continue until all the tortillas have been used. You want to kind of eye the filling to make sue you have enough to the last tortilla or that you have used all of it by the last tortilla.
  • Ladle some of the sauce over the enchiladas, insuring the ends have sauce and the entire enchilada is covered in a little sauce. Add cheese down the middle of your enchiladas. You can cover if you really like them cheesy, but remember ou have cheese in the filling.
  • Place the enchiladas in the hot oven and cook just until your cheese has melted.
  • I serve these with Mexican rice and pinto beans! Yum! Delicious!
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