Authentic Enchiladas Rojas

• servings: 14 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

8 guajillo or new mexico peppers

1 ancho chile

¼ of a large yellow or red onion

1 large garlic clove

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 cups stock (vegetable, beef, or chicken). Or use water plus 1 bullion cube (vegetable, beef or chicken).

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

3 cups enchilada sauce

14 corn tortillas

oil for frying the tortillas

2 to 3 cups queso fresco, or shredded beef or chicken

2 cups Shredded lettuce (romaine or iceberg)

1 cup queso fresco

sliced radishes

Directions

Make The Enchilada Sauce

Remove all seeds and stem from the peppers then rinse under cold water to remove any dust.

In a medium pot, add the chiles, onions and garlic clove. Add enough water to cover the chiles.

Cover and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until very soft and pliable. Rest chiles in the water for another 10 to 15 minutes to cool off and finish hydrating the chiles.

Transfer chiles to a blender or food processor and add 2 cups broth. Puree for about 1 minute. Note: you can do this in two different batches if the blender isn't big enough for all the ingredients at once.

Strain the pureed chiles to remove the remaining seeds and skins (tip: push the chile mix with a spoon to get the most out of them).

In a large saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the pureed chiles and tomato sauce. Cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.

Make The Enchiladas Rojas

Add about ¼ cup of oil to a small or medium skillet. Heat on medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (but not smoky), add one tortilla at the time and cook each side for about 4 to 5 seconds or until tortilla is lightly fried (See notes section)

As you fry each tortilla, drain any excess oil by tapping it into the pan then place on a plate with a paper towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas and add more oil if necessary.

To assemble the enchiladas rojas, dip each tortilla into the warm sauce and place on the serving plates.

Fill with your favorite filling. In this case we're using crumbled queso fresco but you can use shredded chicken, beef, beans or your favorite cooked vegetables.

Either fold the tortilla like a taco or roll them as pictured below. I like to add a little more sauce on top for extra flavor.

Sprinkle with queso fresco and other toppings you choose. I like to squeeze some lime juice to balance all of the flavors.

Buen provecho!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 enchilada
• Calories: 210 kcal
• Total Fat: 9 g
• Cholesterol: 33 mg
• Sodium: 507 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 18 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 1 g
• Protein: 13 g