Best Vegetable And Cheese Enchiladas With Ancho Tomato Sauce Recipes

VEGETABLE AND CHEESE ENCHILADAS WITH ANCHO-TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Lay a piece of aluminum foil on the bottom of a cast-iron skillet (for easier cleanup, as juices have a tendency to weep and scorch the pan) and set it over medium heat. Place the ancho chile on the foil and cook about 2 minutes, turning once, until the chile smells toasty. Remove the chile and set aside, then add the onion and garlic and cook 10-15 minutes, turning the vegetables once or twice as they brown. Or place the vegetables on a baking sheet under a broiler and cook 6-7 minutes, turning them once halfway through the cooking process.
• Discard the stem and seeds from the cooled chile and tear it into pieces. Place the chile in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and add the vinegar. Let it soak for about 10 minutes. Peel the garlic cloves and place them in a food processor or blender along with the onions.
• Char the tomatoes in the same pan on the foil or under the broiler, turning several times so they are evenly blistered, about 10 minutes. Chop the tomatoes (skin and all) and add to the food processor. Save the chile soaking liquid and add the pieces of chile. Pulse to blend the sauce thoroughly. If necessary, add a little of the chile liquid to thin the sauce (it should have the consistency of thick tomato juice). Season to taste with salt. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and carefully pour in the sauce. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. The sauce will darken and thicken a little.
• Add some water or, preferably, Chicken or Vegetable Stock to adjust the consistency. Simmer gently for about 5 more minutes and adjust the seasoning to taste. Hold the sauce at room temperature while you make the vegetable filling. (Alternatively, the sauce can be made a day in advance.)
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot but not smoking, add the onion and poblano and toss to coat evenly with oil.
• Cook for 4-5 minutes, then scrape the vegetables into a large bowl and return the skillet to the heat. Heat another tablespoon of the oil; add the mushrooms and cook, tossing or stirring, until they are wilted and starting to get brown and crispy, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the oregano and coriander. Season with a little salt and add to the bowl of vegetables. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil, toss in the zucchini pieces, and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Season with salt, stir in the scallions, and scrape the zucchini into the bowl with the other vegetables. Grind a little black pepper over the vegetables and stir in the cilantro.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Use a pastry brush to grease a 13 × 9-inch baking pan or shallow oblong baking dish with vegetable oil. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the greased pan and spread evenly. Place about half the remaining sauce in a 10-inch skillet and warm gently. Submerge one tortilla in the sauce and let it warm until it is soft and pliable (about 5-10 seconds), then lift it out, draining the excess sauce back into the skillet. Place the tortilla on a work surface, spoon on about 3 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture, sprinkle with a little cheese, and roll it up into a snug cylinder. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking pan. Fill more tortillas in the same manner. They should fit snugly in the pan, in one layer. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes, until they are hot all the way through and the cheese is bubbly. Garnish with onion, cilantro, and jalapeños and serve.

TOMATILLO ENCHILADA SAUCE

Steps:

• Put tomatillos and serrano peppers in a large stockpot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Boil until tomatillos are an army green color, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain.
• Combine tomatillo-pepper mixture, onions, and garlic in a blender, working in batches if necessary. Puree until smooth.
• Transfer puree to a large pot. Add chicken broth, brown sugar, cilantro, salt, and cumin; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced and thickened, about 45 minutes.

VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chile powder, cumin and cayenne, and continue to cook, stirring, until the spices are toasted, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups water, the tomato puree and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly (it should be looser and thinner than marinara sauce), 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• For the filling: Squeeze all the excess moisture out of the spinach. Put it into a large bowl with the pinto beans, and squeeze with your hands to combine and smash up the beans a little. Add half of both the Cheddar and the pepper Jack, half of both the sour cream and the scallions and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and stir to combine.
• Spread about 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Lay the tortillas out on a work surface, and spread 1 side of each with about 1 teaspoon of tomato sauce. Put about 1/4 cup of the filling across the middle of each tortilla. Roll each up, then shingle them in 2 even rows in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas, and sprinkle with the remaining cheeses. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil, and bake until the cheeses are melted and the filling is hot, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking to heat completely through, about 10 minutes more.
• For the topping: Whisk together the remaining sour cream, the lime juice and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Drizzle the mixture over the baked enchiladas, and sprinkle with the remaining scallions.