make-raul-cry-enchiladas

it takes a lot to make raul admit to something being too spicy for him. he once ate those deadly black chilies at big bowl that the server warns you not to eat.

nevertheless. these enchiladas did him in and lisa too.

as you all know i dislike mexican food ---food not mexicans. exhibit a: raul alvarez, my husband.

but sometimes i make mexican food for my friends to be nice. here was my attempt.

so if you think you can hang. try this.

3/4 cup hot sauce (i had the $1.99 huge bottle from guanajuarto)
5 chopped chipotles -- from a can, unless you're fancy enough to smoke your own jalapenos
2 tbs chopped fresh sage
1/3 tomato sauce
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
dash chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
dash sugar
salt and pepper to taste
8 flour tortillas

filling
1 wheel of queso fresco
1/2 cup of lemon sage cheese (optional -- see next post for recipe)
1/2 cup white rice
2 tbs butter
black beans
water, as much as needed


in a sauce pan saute garlic until fragrant. add all the rest of the ingredients and stir together. simmer on low heat while you get the rest of the business together.
in a saute pan melt butter and add rice. toast until the rice is yellow-ish but don't let it brown too much.
add enough water to cover the rice. simmer on low heat.
preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
check the rice. it can be al dente since it's going to be baked in the oven and can finish cooking there. drain and set aside.
pour a little bit of the sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish and spread it around so it coats the bottom.
fill each tortilla with a little rice, beans, a little sauce and both kinds of cheese. roll it up, like you do, and put it in a casserole dish. do it again and again until the dish is full.
once you're done pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas and make sure every piece of the tortilla is covered with sauce -- no crunchy tortillas!
grate and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top -- covering the whole mess with a ton of sweet white deliciousness.

bake for 20ish minutes or until you stick your finger in the middle and you scream because it's so hot --do this at your own risk -- i won't be sued for your burned fingers! :) you could also just wait until the sauce starts to bubble. either way...

serve and watch your guests try to not cry.

and while everyone was dying in front of me while i ate my harmless quesadilla (to fit with the theme), they did all have seconds and in between trips for tissues they said it was great.
milk helps the burn too...

good luck!

love,
keighty