Enchiladas Rojas de Queso make me really happy because I know I’m about to bite into the most heavenly dish. I think it’s fair to say enchiladas are my most favorite thing to eat of all time. They hold such a heavy anchor to my childhood, and my grandfather making them for our family. He would make his own enchilada sauce, and my little eyes would watch worried they might be too hot. They never were…. they were perfect.
As I got older I realized enchiladas were a source of comfort for me, wanting them for birthdays or anytime I needed a little extra pop of pizazz in my life. I learned many ways of making them over the years from canned enchilada sauce to various types of fillings and cheeses. Gotta be honest, it’s only been on a very rare occasion I’ve met one I didn’t like, but nothing quite hits like the ones my grandfather used to make.
I have taken his enchiladas rojas de queso recipe and made it more times than I can count, and have the homemade enchilada sauce down. At this point I believe mine taste just like his and am grateful that I still have that little piece of him here on earth… even if only through an enchilada.
Ingredients for Enchiladas Rojas de Queso:
- 1 white onion
- 2.5 oz New Mexico Chile
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2.5 oz California Chile
- 2 Pasilla-Ancho Chiles
- Salt (to taste)
- corn tortilla
- vegetable oil
- queso fresco
- 1/4 of red onion, sliced in rings
- cilantro
- crema
Directions:
Enchilada sauce:
- Let’s make enchilada sauce! Boil onion, New Mexico chile, garlic, California chile, pasilla-ancho chiles, and salt until chiles soften about 35 minutes.
- Remove chiles from water and discard stem and (optional seeds).
- Place all chile skins, onion, garlic, and 3 cups of boiled chile water to blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour chile sauce mixture through a sieve and into a bowl. Press chile flesh against sieve to squeeze out all the liquid. Discard any seeds and skin collected in sieve. Place to the side until ready to use.
Enchilada time:
- Fill a frying pans with 1 cup vegetable oil over a med-high flame. Allow to get hot.
- In a seperate frying pan, fill with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over a medium flame and allow it to heat. Pour in 3 to 4 cups of your enchilada sauce. Let the oil and chile combine then lower your flame very low to simmer the chile.
- Dip your corn tortilla into the frying pan filled with oil, and let it fry on each side for 30 seconds. What you’re looking for is a tortilla that is slightly hard but still bends.
- Dip the fried tortilla into the enchilada sauce with tongs.
- Remove the dipped tortilla from pan and place on a clean surface.
- Fill the center of the tortilla with 2 tablespoons of cheese.
- Gently roll into a tube shape.
- Place in a 9×13 baking dish. Then start the frying process all over again until you fill your baking dish with as many enchiladas as you can.
- Once the baking dish is filled take remaining enchilada sauce from hot pan and spoon over top.
- Drizzle crema over the enchiladas, then sprinkle a couple tablespoons of queso fresco and chopped cilantro over the top. Lastly adorn with red onion slices.
- Enjoy!
Looking for a delicious bowl of lentils? Click here.
