The switch up
Was all set to make curried meatballs,
but... she said she wanted enchiladas
Downtown barely in my rearview mirror last Thursday, the plan was in stone: Dinner would be curried meatballs — a two-bird killing stone that would both satiate my wife and I and get me ahead of next week's food coverage.
That's when I heard the text alert.
"If I bring home cheese and tortillas, do we have everything else that we would need to make enchiladas? I have a hankering," read the text from my wife Lori.
"We always have what it takes to make enchiladas in our house," I told her on the phone when I called back to answer her text request.
She said she could wait until Saturday for enchiladas, but the order had already been given for Friday and I was already half a dozen songs into a freshly minted January 2017 playlist.
Kitchen cleaned and music playing, I surveyed the pantry for inspiration. Lori's enchiladas are always vegetarian. The only specs she demands are a filling made of cheese and onions — sometimes hot peppers, occasionally both are caramelized.
She said to me: "I crave your enchiladas all the time. What I love about them is they're never exactly the same, but they're always sooo good."
It's true. The only time I make the same enchiladas twice is by accident. The reason is the sauce. I've made many tasty version, but perfection is something I suspect I'll chase to the grave.
Auditing the refrigerator as "Bullet Belt" by Shovels and Rope turned into "Locomotion" by Little Eva, I remembered some prepared frozen red chile that might save time.
But the frozen chile needed assistance maturing into something mouthwatering, so I gently sauteed some onions, sweet red pepper and garlic in olive oil and a speck of butter. Once done, the mixture met the thawed red chile in the blender with some stock and salt and the whirlwind romance yielded a thick,
red, spicy spring leading to nirvana.
Then came the rice. My wife reminded me on the phone that "We never have enchiladas without rice."
Not just white rice, Spanish rice. Well, my version of it. That means basmati rice, rich broth, a little onion and sweet pepper, tomatoes, and whatever fresh or frozen veggies we have on hand.
Because I'd found some nice squash the week before and we always seem to have mushrooms in stock, I made a fusion of sauteed mushrooms and calabacitas. (Once you experience sauteed squash slipping in the red chile sauce before it goes in your mouth, it's practically impossible not to be hooked.)
Finally, I decided I was having so much fun that I made beef filling for myself.
For that, I browned some lean ground chuck (yes, there is a use for lean ground beef!) and added minced garlic and onion. Because I knew it was bound to rest wrapped in a corn tortilla and a blanket of red chile, I didn't want to waste a bunch of time seasoning it. So, I squeezed a lime over it, and mixed in grated Grana Padano (because I was out of cotija anejo).
Lori's enchiladas spent a little time in the oven to melt the cheese before I dressed them with sauce and any residual filling. For mine, I simply heated the tortillas in oil, folded them around a couple spoonfuls of beef then immediately covered them in simmering sauce. More grated dry cheese on top and a spoonful of pico de gallo finished the dish.
We had plenty of leftover sauce, which can be used as a braising sauce for cubed beef or pork. It also can be frozen for future sudden enchilada texts.
Tune in next week for that curried meatball recipe.