Enchiladas
Verdes
(Fried Chicken Filled Tortillas with Green Tomato Sauce)
By FBWorld Team
With Cinco de Mayo
coming up soon, we thought we'd share a this Classic Latin
American Recipe. Enjoy your celebration!
Enchiladas
Verdes -
(Fried Chicken Filled Tortillas with Green Tomato Sauce)
Serves:
6
Note:
You may substitute 2 cups of leftover
lean roast pork, finely shredded, for the chicken.
Ingredients:
2 Whole Chicken Breasts (each about 3/4
pound)
1 cup Chicken Stock (fresh or canned)
6 oz. Cream Cheese
2 cups Heavy Cream
3/4 cup Onions (finely chopped)
6 Fresh Poblano Chilies (about 5
inches long, or substitute 6 fresh green peppers, about
3 1/2 inches in diameter)
10 oz. Can Mexican Green Tomatoes (drained)
2 Canned Serrano Chilies (drained, rinsed
in cold water and finely chopped)
5 tspn. Fresh Coriander (cilantro - coarsely
chopped)
1 Egg
1 1/2 tspn. Salt
1/4 tspn. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 tbls. Lard
12 Tortillas
1/3 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Procedures:
1. Place the chicken breasts in a heavy
2- to 3-quart saucepan, pour in the stock and bring it
to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat to its
lowest point, cover the pan, and simmer the breasts for
about 20 minutes, or until they are tender but not falling
apart. Transfer the breasts to a plate and reserve the
stock. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove
the skin, cut the meat away from the bones and shred it
into small pieces. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream
cheese with a wooden spoon until it is smooth, then beat
into it 1/2 cup of cream, 3 tablespoons at a time. Stir
in the onions, add the shredded chicken, mix thoroughly,
and put the mixture aside while you make the sauce.
2.
Roast the poblano chilies or green peppers by impaling
them, one at a time, on the tines of a long-handled fork
and turning them over a gas flame until the skin blisters
and darkens on all sides. Or place the chilies on a baking
sheet or broiler pan, and broil them about 3 inches from
the heat for about 5 minutes or so, turning them so that
they color on all sides. Be careful not to let them burn.
Wrap the chilies in a damp, clean towel and let them rest
in the towel for a few minutes. Gently rub them with the
towel until the skins slip off. Cut out their stems and
thick white membranes, and discard the seeds. Chop the
chilies coarsely and place them in the jar of an electric
blender. Add the tomatoes, serrano chilies, coriander
and l/4 cup of the reserved chicken stock. Blend at high
speed until the mixture is reduced to a smooth puree.
Pour in the remaining cups of cream, the egg, salt and
pepper, and blend for 10 seconds longer. Scrape the puree
into a large bowl. (To make the sauce by hand, puree the
chilies, tomatoes, serrano chilies and coriander in a
food mill set over a bowl. Discard any pulp remaining
in the mill. Stir in the l/4 cup of stock, 1 1/2 cups
of cream, the egg, salt and pepper, and mix together thoroughly.)
3.
Preheat the oven to 350†. In a heavy 8- to 10-inch skillet,
melt the lard over moderate heat until a light haze forms
above it. Fry and fill the tortillas, one at a time, in
the following traditional fashion: Dip a tortilla in the
chili-tomato sauce, drop it into the skillet and fry it
for a minute or so on each side, or until limp. Transfer
the tortilla from the pan to a plate and place l/4 cup
of the chicken filling in its center. Fold one side of
the tortilla over the filling, then roll the tortilla
up completely into a thick cylinder. Place it, seam side
down, in a shallow 8-by-l2-inch baking dish. Fry and fill
the remaining tortillas in a similar fashion, replenishing
the lard in the frying pan when necessary. When the tortillas
are all arranged in one layer in the baking dish, pour
the remaining chili-tomato sauce over them and sprinkle
the top evenly with grated cheese. Bake on the middle
shelf of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese
melts and the enchiladas brown lightly on top. Serve at
once.
|