Mom's New Mexico Style Green Chile Enchiladas
By: Ana Maria Montoya
Published: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 10:41pm

Ingredients




1 dozen organic corn tortillas
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tomato, chopped (optional)
3 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
4 ounces New Mexico green chile, peeled and chopped
4 cups poached chicken, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

1 Brush tortillas with olive oil and heat on a cast iron skillet until softened.  Set aside. 2 For the sauce:  Saute the onion, garlic, and green chile in a few tablespoons of olive oil.  (Optional - when onion is soft, add one chopped fresh tomato.) 3 Push chile to one side of the pan, and add 2-3 tablespoons of flour and enough olive oil to make a golden roux.  Add chicken stock and simmer until thickened.  Set the sauce aside. 4 Prepare the filling: Combine the cooked chicken with sour cream and half of the green chile sauce, until well moistened. 5 Assemble the enchiladas:  Place a tablespoon of the chicken filling in the center of each softened tortilla and roll it up. 6 Place in a 9" x 13" casserole dish that has been prepared with sauce spooned in the bottom of the dish. 7 Repeat with the remaining tortillas. 8 Spoon remaining green chile sauce over the top. 9 Sprinkle with grated cheese. 10 Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes until cheese is browned and bubbly. 11 This is a beautiful dish!  Serve right away.

About


This is the dish that defines my mother's cooking.  Her enchiladas have been the centerpiece of every celebration we've had over the years--birthdays, homecomings, and holidays.  When she outdoes herself--which is most of the time, she also makes a big pot of soupy pinto beans (the kind you can only get at home), Spanish rice, and the New Mexican fry bread called sopaipillas.  These are served alongside the enchiladas, and you take a bite of sopapilla and spoon some honey inside.  The combination of flavors--sweet and oily sopaipillas with the creamy, earthy, spicy flavors of the enchiladas is unbelievable.  Friends who have  been fortunate enough to have a place at her table have had their lives changed by mother's cooking.