The Only Creamy Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Recipe You Will Ever Need

I spent 21 years in southern New Mexico, so my cooking was a Tex-Mex-Hatch Valley-chile-inspired marriage. Like my sister, our French-Italian heritage also sometimes shows up. Funny how my Mexican-American friends often asked me to do the cooking! I have included a “slimmed-down” variation, but the richer one is, of course, best. Also, to me, corn tortillas do enchiladas and tacos make. Leave the flour tortillas for burritos, chimis, and fajitas (I happened to read this same belief from the chef/owner at Tallulah’s in Providence, RI). Traditionally, I tend to roll chicken enchiladas and use green chile. I use red chile enchilada sauce with beef fillings and Colby cheddar stacked and layered with corn tortillas, like one would layer lasagna (later post). Red chiles start out green, but turn red if left on the vine longer. These reds can be dried and strung to hang as ristras (very festive during the holidays), readily available to reconstitute when cooking sauces, stews, tamales, and chilis.

Remember, I cook with my senses, so measurements are sometimes approximate.

For a party:

36 corn tortillas
2 cans cream of chicken soup, rinse each can with half can of water or milk and add to the pot
2 cans cheddar cheese soup (I’ve tried the Nacho soup, but this gives it a more watery consistency for some odd reason) rinse each can with half can of water or milk and add to the pot
2 lbs. shredded Monterey Jack &/or Co-jack cheese, &/or pepper jack for more spice
Cooked, shredded chicken** (white meat preferred), about 10-12 oz.
**You can roast, skin shred a chicken or chicken breasts, or buy cooked Southwestern flavored chicken breast strips or deli roaster and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can evaporated milk (makes your sauce velvety smooth), rinse the can with 1/2 can of  water and add to the pot
Milk or half & half to add  to your saucepan as needed (you want your sauce rich and creamy, not runny, but not like the consistency of condensed soup)
2 cans chopped green chiles (Yes, in NM in the Fall, we buy fresh Hatch green chiles known as Big Jim’s in 40 lb. batches; we get together to roast and peel and chop them, freezing bags for cooking during the year. I still remember the scent of roasting green chiles from the giant roasters in supermarket parking lots wafting across the valley, but you can roast yours on a grill or in the oven, drop into ice water, and the skins will peel right off.)
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
Olive Oil (you will have about a 1/4 inch depth of oil in your fry pan; you may substitute any cooking oil, but you will get a different flavor)
fresh garlic, chopped or use garlic powder to taste
1 T. Cumin
1 t. Adobo seasoning con Pimienta o sin pimienta   (w/wo pepper)
1 t. dried oregano leaves

When serving a crowd, I tend to keep my dishes mild to medium and serve a spicy pico de gallo or salsa on the side for those who want more heat. This dish requires having your ingredients prepared and ready for creating the “enchilada casserole.”

You will need a large saucepan for your sauce and a frying pan to fry your tortillas. You also need a 13×9 inch baking pan. You can use some of the leftover oil from frying tortillas to grease the sides and bottom of the pan before assembling the enchiladas. Once you are ready to assemble your enchiladas in the baking pan, heat your oven to 375.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the saucepan and add your garlic and spices. Stir in the canned soups, the canned milk, and green chiles. Using a whisk, completely blend your ingredients so there are no clumps of condensed soup.  Add half and half or milk as needed if you need to stretch your sauce to cover more, or if you want it a bit thinner. If you want your onions super-cooked, you can saute them in the oil before adding the soups, otherwise you can add them in as you fill and form your rolled enchiladas. Once the sauce is completely heated through, cover and set aside, removing from the hot burner and being careful not to scorch the bottom.

In your frying pan, heat about 1/4 inch layer of oil (olive or other). Have a paper towel-lined platter ready for your fried tortillas. Using tongs, carefully fry corn tortillas on one side until they puff slightly, but don’t let them crisp. Flip them, quickly fry the second side, and remove from the pan to the paper towels. Layer more paper towels if you need to stack your cooked tortillas. They really absorb oil, so drain them well over the pan before moving to the paper towels.

Using a ladle, coat your baking pan with a thin layer of your soup mix/sauce.

Dip a tortilla in the hot soup mixture. Lay in the pan. Using your hands, sprinkle a layer (about a T. of each) of chicken, cheese, and raw onion, if you didn’t cook it into the sauce. Roll tightly, and repeat, laying the rolled enchiladas tightly in the pan, trying not to leave any spaces. You can be as generous as you want with your fillings, depending on how much of the ingredients you have and how fat you want the enchiladas.

If you need to stack another layer, which is good if you want to let these bake, set, and then slice, then add another thin coating of the sauce across the first layer, sprinkle with cheese, and begin your next layer of enchiladas. The last layer will be a generous covering of sauce and cheese.

Bake in a 375 oven for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly, and slightly browned on the top and edges. Do not overcook or they will be dry! Do not undercook, or they will be soupy and the cheese won’t be completely melted.

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly to set. Like lasagna, this step makes it easier to cut into serving squares. Or, you can serve 2-3 rolled enchiladas per person.

Condiments & Accompaniments:

Salsa of preferred “heats”
 Pico de gallo (more of a fresh salsa) If making your own salsa, a good rule of thumb on hot/chile peppers is that the smaller and pointer they look, the hotter they taste! Careful not to tough your face or eyes. If you do, flood the area with cold water. If you burn your tongue, don’t drink water; eat bread, or drink milk or pineapple juice.
Sour cream
Chopped iceberg lettuce (this is probably the only time I use iceberg, but it helps to cool the palate and looks pretty)
Chopped tomatoes
chopped raw onion

Some New Mexicans like a fried egg served atop their enchiladas, but we usually do that with red sauce and ground beef filling. Just omit the soups and green chiles, use 2-3 cans red enchilada sauce if not making your own from reconstituted dried red chiles, and fill with sautéed ground beef and Colby cheddar. You can omit the meats altogether for a Lenten or vegetarian version, and you can use refried pinto beans as a filling, but I prefer the beans fried in cumin, garlic and olive oil 🙂 and topped with cheese as a side dish.

To slim down this recipe a bit, steam or soften your tortillas wrapped in paper towels in the microwave instead of frying them. Cut back to one can each of the soups, 2% milk, and add two cans of Old El Paso green enchilada sauce. Use low-fat cheeses. Use portion control 😉

To make a smaller batch, use 1 dozen tortillas, 1 lb. cheese, half the soups — you get the picture.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eggplant Parmigiana

Elongated slices of eggplant give a more meaty, less seedy bite.

Grandma Dearie’s Eggplant Parmigiana (Always read a recipe through at least once before attempting):

1 good-sized, firm, pretty purple eggplant
3-4 large eggs
milk, splash/dash/less than a 1/4 cup
Italian flavored breadcrumbs at least one cup
flour, all-purpose, at least one cup
olive oil
Marinara Sauce (see recipe from first post)
1 lb. shredded mozzarella, or buy a fresh mozz and slice thin or tear it with your fingers
grated Parmigiana or Romano cheese
1 glass of red table wine or Chianti
Oven proof glass or metal baking pan (I prefer glass, 13×9 or smaller, which yields taller stacks) wiped with olive oil to prevent sticking

Oven preheated to 375 degrees, rack centered

NOTE: As always, measurements are suggested, and can be adjusted according to taste, diet, or availability of ingredients in your pantry

Helpful prep hints included:

1. Grandma taught me that to make the layered stacks of cheesy, saucy goodness taste more meaty, one should cut the eggplant in this way:
Slice or chop off the stem and discard. Lay the eggplant down flat and cut through the middle. Peel each half with a sharp paring knife. Stand each end on the cut side. Slice in 1/4 inch slices so your slices are long and not round. This will taste more meaty and less seedy. Trust Grandma. She knew. She’s watching.

2. Once your eggplant is sliced, soak the slices in a large bowl of salted (1T) cold water as you prep for frying and assembling. Drain once you are ready to coat and assemble your dish. To drain, Press a plate down on the eggplant — do this in the sink so the water can freely overflow. Drain the remainder of the water.  You will be surprised at how black the water has become! Note that this is bad for you, but for some reason, the eggplant coats and cooks better if you take the time to do this. Remember, Grandma said!

3. Make, heat or reheat your Marinara sauce (or used jarred, but first make the sign of the cross and apologize to Grandma)

4. Line a large plate or platter with paper towels for draining your eggplant after it cooks in the oil

5. Mound your breadcrumbs on a generous piece of wax paper* (you can lift and toss with the edges of the paper to evenly coat the eggplant slices)

6. Beat your eggs with milk in a glass pie plate (use a fork, completely blend the egg yolks and whites) – salt and pepper to taste

7.  Beat 3-4 eggs with a splash of milk (Grandma eyeballed everything — she NEVER measured unless she was baking, but even then, it was a pinch, a handful, a dash, etc. A coffee cup might easily serve as the measuring cup if that was the nearest cup she saw.

8. When adding olive oil to your frying pan, you only need about 1/4 inch of oil for your eggplant. We are not deep-frying here, but frying on a medium-high heat until eggplant slices are golden brown and nearly cooked through.

9. Have the oil heated in the pan, ready for the eggplant slices to “surprise” it, but not to smoke the oil or brown too dark. Keep your OLIVE oil handy, in case you need to add more (and you will)

10. *My mom and I always say, “FEC,” so we remember to first dust the eggplant slices in Flour, next dip in the Egg mixture, then lastly coat with the flavored bread-Crumbs. 😉 I sometimes mix equal parts flour and breadcrumb and simply go from this mixture  to the eggs and back again.
This step can be totally eliminated, and the slices can be sautéed “naked” if you are trying to cut the carbs. Simply cook in the oil until they are lightly browned and start to soften. You can even saute fresh basil leaves and layer them into the pan when you assemble the dish. Smell the eggplant as it cooks in the oil. I can smell it now, as I write! 

So go ahead; coat your first batch of eggplant slices — FEC — and gently add to the frying pan. In my finished photo, you will see I’ve added a layer of chicken cutlets: pound thin, then follow the FEC method, cooking until golden brown and nearly cooked through (see cutlets in photo below).

Cook nearly through; cooking will continue while baking

 

Okay, so work quickly and efficiently, watching your heat, adding oil to the pan as needed, and letting the fried slices drain on the paper towel-lined plate. As your eggplant is cooking, you can continue the process of FEC, leaving the coated slices on the edge of the wax paper, ready to fry.

As your slices are browned on both sides and beginning to soften, remove them to drain on the paper towels. Keep adding paper towels and simply stack on the plate until all the eggplant is fried and drained.

This is the fun part. Add a generous ladle of marinara sauce to your oiled baking pan. No, this is the fun part. Add a layer of eggplant, fitting them side-by-side — juxtaposed 🙂 — in the pan. Work like a bricklayer, trying to fill the gaps by fitting the larger slices and then adding the smaller around them. Use a spoon the thinly top the slices with more sauce — don’t flood the pan with sauce! Okay, so this is fun, too! Top the slices with shredded or sliced mozzarella, sprinkle with grated Parmigiana or Romano cheese. Top with another layer of eggplant. Continue until all the eggplant is layered in the pan, ending with your sauce and then cheeses. You may sprinkle the top with dried oregano, if desired. Grandma cooked pretty plainly, considering it was fabulous Italian food!

Bake in 375 oven for at least a half hour, or until hot and bubbly, and the cheeses appear to be melted.

This dish is best served after “resting” or cooling on the counter. You can either serve it warm rather than hot, or reheat, but this way you can slice into the stacks or lift an entire stack easily with a spatula and serve a complete stack per person. This resting process keeps the stacks from mud-sliding on the plates, and works for lasagna as well.

Toast the dish with your filled wine glass. Whisper, “Sante!” Drink the wine.

(Note: As a highly satisfied member of Nakedwine.com, I recommend Stefano di Blasi Chianti Classico 2013)

Mangia! Serve and Enjoy!

Baked Ziti (foreground); Chicken & Eggplant Parmigiana (background); note the meats cooked in the”gravy” are served as a side dish with a bit of extra sauce/gravy

 

The Gravy!

Okay, so now that you can master a basic marinara sauce, we are going to build on our foundation. My family members have been accused of holding back when sharing recipes, simply because people forget that one cooks with love, from the gut, by using the senses. Perhaps the same cannot be said for the chemistry of baking, but when preparing a savory dish, usually one can rely on one’s own preferences.

Consider the typical Italian Sunday dinner. The recipes below provide for only the pasta course, served with the meats that were cooked in the gravy (you say “tomato sauce” I say “THE GRAVY”).

Grandma Dearie would say that a good cook uses fresh, quality ingredients. If you do this, diners can salt their own food. The herbs will properly season the food. Over the years, I came to the realization that my French side used cheaper cuts of meats, cooked the hell out of them, and covered them in rich, heavy, wine laden sauces (I am quite sure I will hear about this generalization, but as I grew up trying to master the cooking from both sides, this is how it seemed). Grandma was from Naples – Neapolitan – and of course, she thought she cooked better than our friends and neighbors, “the Barese” or the Sigiliana.” And vice versa.

To me, even as a child, the Italian side seemed to focus more on a few fresh, quality ingredients; preferably home-grown herbs and vegetables, choice cuts of meat, and homemade or good quality semolina pasta. Of course, as I experimented, poured cookbooks, and devoured cooking shows, I learned to add a healthier, modern touch for my growing family. Like my sister the chef, I married the Mediterranean cooking we had learned at home with foods I enjoyed on my travels. Garlic and olive oil – any good flavorful oil, meats in casings, and bread and pasta of some sort, seemed to pop up in many ethnic recipes.

Cooking for me has been a life journey. Learning new recipes, savoring a dish in a restaurant and trying to recreate it at home, incorporating traditional recipes from my childhood with new seasonings and ingredients taught me to celebrate life through food from my travels and experiences.

Something I learned from Grandma Dearie is that you measure by eye, season by taste or smell, and time by appearance. Use your senses; use your heart, when cooking what I consider to be peasant Italian, but what most people now find in finer dining establishments (watch for my zucchini squash flower appetizers).

We will focus first on the meats that go into The Gravy. But first, refer to the Basic Mariana Sauce (from the post, Consider the Sauce) and prepare it. Let it simmer in a large Dutch oven while we prepare the meats that will be added into the pool – er, pot.

The Basic Marinara Sauce-to-Gravy (refresher course)

Virgin Olive oil to coat your large Dutch oven (with a lid)

3 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped or minced

3-4 leaves fresh basil

Dry or fresh Italian herbs (optional)

2 cans premium quality plum tomatoes (remember, you want to smell sunshine, like the scent of a fresh picked tomato on a hot summer’s day)

2 small cans tomato sauce (not paste, according to my Napolitana Grandma!) NOTE: This ingredient isn’t in your marinara recipe.

Over high-medium heat, brown garlic and herbs in olive oil coating the bottom of the pan; add your tomatoes and tomato sauce; lower to simmer on a back burner while you cook your meats.

To give The Gravy its rich, meaty depth, we next have to assemble our meats that take longest to cook. Remember, Gramps would have all the meats ready on plates in the fridge for Grandma to use as she was ready. The meats will then simmer in the tomato sauce on low for 2-3 hours, minimum, until the meats are fork tender and the sauce is thick and rich with some of the meats that have begun to dissolve, transforming the sauce into: The Gravy!

Bracciole (beef rolls): 1. Thin cut beef slices, usually labeled in the supermarket meat cases as “for bracciole” (often round steak). Grandma Dearie would take a mallet and bang it out flat and tender, whether it needed it or not. 3-4 rollups can be halved or sliced for your guests, as there will be plenty of other meats to sample.

2. Italian flavored breadcrumbs, 1-2 cups, depending upon how many rolls you wish to make.

3.  Pignoli (pine nuts), these are quite dear (expensive) as my grandfather would say — he also nicknamed Grandma Dearie  — so you decide on ¼- ½ cup

4. Fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped, remove most of the stems, about ½ cup (Be careful at the grocery store! Don’t grab cilantro by mistake!)

5. Garlic, chopped, 2-3 cloves (My mom likes a little food with her garlic, so again, your preference)

6. Grated “parmesan” cheese (Buy a nice one from the deli case, and make sure it is cheese and doesn’t contain fillers): Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano, Locatelli Romano, Parmigiano Reggiano (God, my spellchecker hates me right now!) will all work. You can even buy it in block form and grate as needed.

7. Olive Oil – just splurge on a gallon, would you, and refill decorative bottles to keep on your counter, in your pantry, on your table so you don’t run out EVER!

8. Toothpicks, plain — not dyed (or thread if you are out of toothpicks, but NEVER mint flavored dental floss!)

Toss together all ingredients except the oil, beef, and toothpicks (duh). Do you feel compelled to salt and pepper your filling? Go ahead, but remember, salt can be added by the diner, and cheese adds saltiness. Some cooks add slices of prosciutto, chopped onion, etc., but less is more, and all of this will add flavor to your Gravy!

Have ready on medium a heated frying pan coated with olive oil.

Assemble: Lay a thin slice of beef on a piece of wax paper. Sprinkle a generous Tablespoon or two of your breadcrumb mixture. Roll up to resemble small logs, about 2×4”. Use 2-3 toothpicks to hold together, or wrap and tie with string or thread. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Meatballs: 1 lb. ground chuck, — Many cooks use some sort of mixture of beef, pork, & veal – (1/3 of each works) – we don’t.

1. 1 c. Italian flavored breadcrumbs
2. Garlic, 1-2 cloves chopped fine
3. Fresh chopped parsley ½ c. (déjà vu all over again, right?)
4. Dash dried oregano or Italian herbs (if you have fresh, but of course, use them!)
5. 1 egg (Add a drop or two of milk as you combine if mixture seems too dry. The trick is to have more meat than anything else, so you may want to cut back on breadcrumbs or parsley. Too moist, and they will fall apart in the sauce. Tricky, yes, but keep your balls firm – oh dear.)
6. Pignoli ¼ c. (I know! They are dear!)
7. Combine all ingredients, roll into 3” smaller-than-base-balls (my daughter’s first looked like baseballs, but that’s okay, her fiancé is a pitcher), set on wax paper-lined plate in fridge

Italian sausage (can be bought with or without fennel, which my mom despises) ½ hot, ½ regular, so maybe ½ to 1 per diner

1-2 pork loin chops or ribs, bone in

1 small Chuck filet for more flavor! More power! Any of these meats can be omitted according to individual taste. READY!?!?

Brown bracciole on all sides in the heated frying pan that was coated in olive oil (remember?)

Remove to a platter

Brown meatballs (sometimes I roil these on a foil lined cookie pan, but watch closely and turn to brown all sides)

Remove to the platter

Brown sausages, hot and/or mild

Remove to platter

Brown your pieces of pork and beef. Add to the platter.

Stir your pot of sauce to be sure it is not sticking on the bottom. This is why a good heavy pot or Dutch oven is necessary. Slowly add your meats to the pot in this order: bracciole, pork and beef pieces, sausages, and meatballs, layered ever-so-gently on the top. Cover, and simmer on low for 2-3 hours.

If you leave the gravy simmering while you go to church, go surfing, work out, or however you spend your Sunday mornings, be sure someone is home to stir from the bottom or lower the heat. Nothing tastes worse than blackened tomato sauce, and there’s a lot of money I that pool. Not sure if the gravy is done? Slice into the piece of chuck. Does it fall apart? Are the meatballs firm and is the gravy now thickened by all that protein? It’s ready.

Boil a large covered pot of water. Salt optional. Drop of olive oil is optional, too. Remove the lid. Stir your pasta into the rapidly boiling water. Cook according to taste or package directions. Remember, fresh pasta is already soft and requires about the half the time as boxed dry pasta. Drain well. Move to a large pasta serving bowl. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Remove meats from the gravy and arrange on a platter. Pour the remainder of the gravy over your cooked pasta, (reserving a bit). Toss together. Top with a scoop of sauce and grated cheese for presentation. If desired, serve the remainder of the gravy in a gravy boat. Serve with additional cheese, crushed red pepper flakes for those who like diablo (spicy). Add a hot loaf of crusty Italian bread and a salad and this could be enough for the average person’s dinner.

Unless you’re part Italian. Then this is a course served after the Antipasto, the Stracietella, and before the roast with oven browned potatoes and a veg. But if you insert a slice or two of apple at this point, to help you digest as Grandma Dearie would say, then you have room for Ricotta Cheesecake and cappuccino. Mangia bene!

Consider the Sauce

As Grandma Dearie used to say, “First, you gotta start with the sauce.” So we will talk about how she would cook it because her recipes always came with such sage (pun intended) advice for living, and then we will have a more practical recipe with items readily purchased at your favorite supermarket.

“Henry! Oofah! You always grow too many tomatoes!”

This complaint because Grandma would now have to blanch, crush, and can all the plum tomatoes that seemed to appear from magic seeds each summer. She would use the Summer Kitchen, the one in the basement of the two-family ranch that housed our extended family. Plus, the steps from the downstairs kitchen — my French American mom’s kitchen — led up into the backyard garden that filled one city lot. Once the quart jars were sterilized and  filled with the fresh tomatoes and a leaf or two of fresh basil from the garden, they were cooled, sealed, and stored on shelves in the playroom which also doubled as my dad’s office.

Sunday was Italian Dinner Day. “Henry! Go down and bring me two jars of tomatoes. And open them for me.”

My grandparents would rise early to start the sauce. Gramps would plate the meats that grandma would cook in the sauce, and we would wake to the scent of garlic sauteeing in olive oil. Once the meats were browned and added to the pot, the gravy was left on slow simmer while they went to the Italian Mass.  My parents took my sister and me to the noon Mass, so that when we arrived home, the food was ready and the feast began. We sat down at the table at one o’clock and we didn’t usually finish the meal until three. Once, when we visited Grandma Dearie’s siblings in Naples, we ate from noon until 8:00pm, with everything served from the kitchen on separate plates. They called us “the skinny Americans!”

So, Grandma Dearie’s Basic Marinara, followed by The Gravy:

1-2 cans San Marzano crushed plum tomatoes (or blanch fresh tomatoes in boiling water, peel them, and squeeze them with your hands)use quality tomatoes –they should smell like sunshine (use 2 cans if you have more to do than just dress pasta, i.e., a parmiagiana dish)

2-3 large fresh cloves of garlic

Virgin Olive Oil (no, this does not mean it was pressed from ugly olives; virgin or extra virgin refers to the pressings of the olives), enough to coat the bottom of a large kettle/saucepan

3-4  fresh basil leaves, whole or finely chopped to preference — Grandma would say, “twist them with your fingers, sniff the aroma, better than perfume, then cook the leaves with the browning garlic”

1 T sugar, according to taste

Salt to taste — lightly

SUGGESTED pastas: 1 lb. thin spaghetti, penne rigate, or bite-sized ricotta ravioli.
This is your basic Marinara sauce, without the meats, which is sauce and not “gravy:”

Simply saute the chopped garlic in olive oil on medium heat until it begins to brown lightly. Add basil, stir, then quickly add tomatoes so they surprise the oil and begin to bubble. Lower to simmer, cover and let simmer on low while you cook your pound of preferred pasta according to taste (note: fresh pasta is already soft and therefore cannot be cooked al dente; will take less time than boxed). Once your pasta is cooked and drained, your sauce is ready. This is one time you should not cook the sauce too long. You want a fresh tomato taste, enhanced by the garlic and basil. Toss sauce together with pasta, top with grated or shredded parmigiana. Please never serve pasta naked, always dress it!

The gravy version will be posted separately, with recipes for meatballs and bracciole. Meats will also include pork and Italian sausage.