Swiss Enchiladas

From A Taste of Mexico, Kippy Nigh, Book Publishing Co., 1996.

Having some masa flour I was keen to try making tortillas. They were simply made with flour and water in a ratio of 2:1. For what I needed I used one cup of flour and ½ cup water mixing them together bit by bit until they had formed a dough. I found I needed a little more than the half cup of water. Then I kneaded the dough until it was pliable and not sticky. I took a small portion and tried to roll it out but it crumbled a bit so I added a little more water and gave it a longer kneading. It was then rolled out between two sheets of cling wrap. It rolled easily but it was very difficult to make it a round shape. I cooked it on a very hot pan turning it twice. It was reasonable but not a very good first try. These obviously need practice to be able to perfect them.

The tortillas were kept warm in a clean tea towel. They were then taken one at a time and dipped in warmed green chilli sauce. Grated tasty cheddar cheese was placed on them and they were rolled up and put in a small casserole. When they were all filled and rolled they went into a 180ºC oven for 15 minutes.

They were served with more green chilli sauce, yoghurt and some chopped spring onions.

I found the name Swiss Enchiladas a contradiction in terms but the recipe came with an explanation that migrants from Switzerland had contributed to the Mexican cuisine and these were so named because of the yoghurt and cheese.

I was reasonably happy with the enchiladas. The tortillas were not too badly made for eating and the green chilli sauce was tasty with the cheese filling. The yoghurt nicely complemented the heat of the sauce.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔

Tlalpeño Soup

From A Taste of Mexico, Kippy Nigh, Book Publishing Co., 1996.

I was going to have enchiladas for dinner so thought a Mexican soup might make a good starter.

I took 100g chickpeas and poured boiling water over them. They went into the microwave for 5 minutes and were then left for an hour to soak. I now drained them and placed them into a large saucepan with a litre of water and four unpeeled garlic cloves. The water was brought to the boil and then simmered until the chickpeas had softened—about an hour.

In a frying pan I sautéed for about 5 minutes 2 garlic cloves, an onion and a large carrot, all chopped. 

The unpeeled garlic cloves were removed from the chickpea water and the sautéed vegetables were added as well as 120g shiitake and button mushrooms cut into small pieces, a couple of canned chipotles sliced thinly, a tablespoon chopped coriander and half a teaspoon salt. These were all simmered for 20 minutes.

The soup was served over some cubed avocado and topped with a little chopped coriander. A slice of lime was included on the plate as well as some chopped small red chillies to use as desired.

This was a pleasant mix of Mexican flavours, especially the smoky heat of the chipotles, always a winner for me.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔

Chalupas

From A Taste of Mexico, Kippy Nigh, Book Publishing Company, 1996.

Once a number of preliminary tasks are done this is a very easy dish to put together.

A hot ranchero sauce was made. Four Italian tomatoes were placed under a hot grill and left until the skins were blackened. They were then taken out, the skins peeled off and they were placed in a blender together with four de arbol chillies which had been cooked on a hot plate for a couple of minutes. The ingredients were blended then strained. In a saucepan with a little olive oil, two minced garlic cloves were cooked for a short while before the strained juice was added with a cup of water. The mix was brought to the boil and simmered for 20 minutes. It was now ready.

A carrot was cooked and chopped. A beetroot was cooked and chopped. A quarter of a red onion was thinly sliced. Cos lettuce leaves were shredded. Coriander was chopped finely.

Mini tortillas were cooked both sides in a pan with oil until they were crisp. Refried beans were spread on the tortillas before adding the lettuce, carrots, beetroot, onion and coriander. A little sauce was poured over and they were ready to eat.

While these were mentioned as being a party food they were a bit on the difficult side to manage and I can see accidents happening. Perhaps my tortillas were a little larger than they were meant to be. Despite the difficulties they were colourful and tasty. Though the ranchero sauce was a bit on the hot side when tasted by itself (something I enjoyed) the heat seemed to dissipate when eaten with the other ingredients.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔