Cheese Enchiladas with Chile Gravy
For those who don’t speak Tex-Mex, chile gravy is a smooth sauce made with reconstituted dried chiles, broth, flour or some other thickener, and fat. The canned version—enchilada sauce—is stacked in grocery aisles all over the country. It’s worth the effort to make homemade, though, because fresh chile gravy is about as far from the canned stuff as Texas is from Toronto. I serve my cheese enchiladas topped with gravy, diced yellow or sweet onions, and sides of refried beans (page 161) and Rosa’s Mexican Rice (page 161).
Recipe information
Yield
serves 12, two enchiladas per person
Ingredients
Chile Gravy
Cheese Enchiladas
Preparation
Step 1
TO MAKE THE CHILE GRAVY: Place the ancho and pasilla chiles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Use a plate or small bowl to weigh down the chiles, keeping them submerged. Soak them until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain the chiles, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the soaking water.
Step 2
In a large skillet set on low heat, brown the garlic cloves, shaking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Puree the garlic, softened chiles, and the 1 1/2 cups reserved chile soaking water in the jar of a blender or the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Use a wooden spoon to push the pureed chiles through a strainer and into a bowl.
Step 3
In the skillet used to brown the garlic, stir together the 1/4 cup vegetable oil and flour until smooth and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture turns a light brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, black pepper, sugar, pureed chiles, chicken stock, and tomato sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld, about 15 minutes.
Step 4
TO MAKE THE CHEESE ENCHILADAS: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with butter or vegetable oil. Warm the 1 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet set over low heat. Using tongs, dip the tortillas, 1 at a time, into the vegetable oil to soften; drain on paper towels. In a large bowl, stir together the shredded cheeses. Fill the center of each tortilla with about 3 tablespoons cheese, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, on the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, arranging them close together in 1 layer. Cover the enchiladas with the chile gravy. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the leftover shredded cheese. Bake until hot and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Serve with diced onion scattered over the top.
variations
Step 5
Enchiladas can be filled with shredded, seasoned meat or beans, with or without the cheese. Other possible additions include chopped black olives, chopped green onions, or just about anything that sounds good to you.
Step 6
For a lighter, thinner sauce substitute 30 ounces tomato juice for the tomato sauce.
do it early
Step 7
The chile gravy can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 weeks. The enchilada casserole can be made, but not baked, up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Add 5 minutes to the baking time if taking the casserole straight from refrigerator to oven.
