Homemade Red & Green Sauces for Enchiladas, Refried Beans, Spanish Rice, Shrimpo de Gallo

A new friend in our ward has parents from El Salvador, where she 

was born. She treated us to a cooking demo and a tasty lunch of homemade enchiladas, refried beans and rice. Another friend, and her neighbor, taught us how to make a green sauce for enchiladas. 

It was a lot of fun and we've enjoyed making—and eating—these.

Red Sauce Chicken Enchiladas
Step 1: Boil one whole chicken in plenty of water.
(or cook in a crock pot)

Step 2: Once your chicken is cooked, shred the chicken off the bones and set aside. Save all your chicken stock.

Step 3: Place one bag full of New Mexico chilis into a pot and add water until it barely covers the chilis. Boil on med. until the chilis are very soft and tender.

Step 4: Take only the chilis that have been cooked and put them into the blender and add your chicken stock to top off the blender. Add a pinch of cumin, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper only. Blend it all until it is a sauce consistency. Check for flavor.



Step 5: Add the sauce into the pot of shredded chicken and mix it all up very well.

Step 6: Wrap a stack of corn tortillas (approx. 10) in a paper towel and place in the microwave for approx. 3 minutes until the tortillas are soft and can roll easily.

Step 7: Place a little chicken/sauce on the tortilla and roll it. Then you place your enchilada on your casserole dish and continue until it’s all filled.

Step 8: Top your enchiladas with more sauce and add a mixture of shredded cheese i.e. Mexican cheese called Cotija, Queso Fresco, or Mozzerella.

Step 9: Chop green onions and add to the top. Place foil on top and bake for 15 minutes on 400 degrees in the oven or until the cheese is all melted.


Green Enchilada Sauce
3 poblano chiles, stemmed and seeded, and cut in half (can substitute 5 jalepenos)
1 pound tomatillos, husked, washed, and dried (leave whole)
1/4 c. chicken broth
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 c. packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. olive oil
1 t. sugar
Salt and pepper

1. Position an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Arrange the chiles skin side up, and tomatillos on the baking sheet and spray with oil spray. Broil until the vegetables black and begin to soften, 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Remove the vegetables from oven, and let cool slightly, then remove the skins from the chiles (leave tomatillos intact). Process the vegetables, broth, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and sugar together in a food processor until the sauce is almost smooth, 30-60 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Spanish Rice I
Cook rice as usual, although, for added flavor instead of using water, add the chicken stock, a spoon full of the red enchilada sauce, and a handful of green onion for the Spanish rice.

~~~

I also thought I'd include my favorite Spanish Rice recipe and a story. Just before college, I helped a friend of a friend who had a job cooking for the workers on the off-shore oil drilling rigs in Southern California. Since we made multiple batches of this, we tweeted the recipe each time until we got it just right!

Spanish Rice II
1 c. uncooked regular rice    
3 T. REX lard or shortening
1 lg. onion, chopped  
1 T. instant chicken bouillon
1 T. oregano flakes  
3 c. water
1 t. garlic salt    
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

In large skillet, melt shortening.  Add onion and cook until just transparent.  Add rice and fry until rice turns transparent to lightly brown.  Dissolve bouillon in water.  Add remaining ingredients.  Pour liquid into skillet.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed (about 20 minutes).


Finally, a new recipe that we like from Pioneer Woman.


Shrimpo de Gallo
Ingredients
1 pound cooked shrimp (tails removed), chopped
½ whole red onion, diced finely
½ cups green or black olives, chopped
2 whole tomatoes, diced
2 whole fresh jalapeno peppers, minced
2 whole avocados, chopped
2 whole limes, juiced
Kosher Salt To Taste
2 cups cilantro, chopped

Preparation Instructions
Combine shrimp, red onion, olives, tomatoes, and jalapenos in a large bowl. Add lime juice to taste, then a dash of kosher salt. Add cilantro. Stir gently with a spoon, then taste on a tortilla chip so you’ll have an accurate gauge of the salt content. Add more salt and/or lemon juice if needed.

Chill until serving. Note that the avocado will brown if too much time passes, so if you want to make this ahead of time, leave out the avocado until just before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips!


by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott