Best 4 Enchiladas Rojas Recipes

ENCHILADAS ROJAS

Steps:

• Toast chiles in a dry medium skillet over medium-high until fragrant and blistered, 1 to 2 minutes a side. Wipe skillet clean. Remove and discard chile stems and seeds; transfer chiles to a bowl. Cover with 3 cups hot water and let soak 15 minutes. Remove chiles, reserving liquid.
• Blend chiles, cinnamon, clove, oregano, thyme, peppercorns, sesame seeds, peanuts, onion, and 1 1/2 cups reserved liquid until smooth. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium-high. Add sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 5 minutes. Add 1 cup reserved liquid; bring to a boil. Season with salt; keep warm.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in another skillet over medium. Gently fry tortillas one at a time, using 1 tablespoon oil for every 3 tortillas, until pliable, about 30 seconds a side. Remove each with tongs, letting oil drip back into skillet, and dip into sauce, turning to fully coat. Transfer to a plate.
• Place a heaping 1/4 cup carnitas in center of a tortilla. Roll tightly and place, seam-side down, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, arranging them in dish in 2 rows. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Top with queso fresco, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro; serve.

PORK ENCHILADAS ROJAS

Steps:

• For the sauce and filling:
• Toast coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling pan often and adding cumin seeds during the last 30 seconds of cooking, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool, then finely grind in spice mill or with mortar and pestle.
• Bring guajillo, ancho, and morita chiles and stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 30 minutes to let chiles soften.
• Transfer chile mixture to a blender and add toasted spices, garlic, tomato paste, and oregano and purée until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 250°F. Heat oil in a medium heavy pot over medium-high. Season pork with salt and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 10-12 minutes. Pour off excess oil and add chile purée and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven. Braise pork until meat is very tender and shreds easily, 1 1/2-2 hours; season with salt.
• Skim excess fat from chile sauce; discard bay leaves. Transfer pork to a large bowl. Let cool slightly, then shred with 2 forks. Mix 1/2 cup chile sauce into pork; season with salt. Set remaining sauce aside.
• For the assembly:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until it bubbles immediately when edge of tortilla touches the surface. Working one at a time, fry tortillas until just starting to brown and crisp, about 10 seconds per side (they should still be somewhat pliable). Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Dip both sides of each tortilla in chile sauce just to coat, then transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Spread 1 cup sauce down the length of a 13x9" baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup pork mixture across the center of a tortilla and fold one side over filling, then continue to roll up tortilla. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Repeat with more sauce and remaining tortillas (enchiladas should be nestled right up against each other in pan). Top with cheese and remaining sauce. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is beginning to brown, 15-20 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, purée avocado, sour cream, lime juice, and 1/4 cup water in a food processor, adding more water to thin as needed, until smooth and creamy; season with salt.
• Top enchiladas with onion slices and drizzle with avocado cream. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
• Do Ahead
• Pork can be braised 3 days ahead. Let cool in chile sauce (do not shred); cover and chill.

CARNITAS FOR ENCHILADAS ROJAS

Steps:

• Combine pork, garlic and salt in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Add 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, turning occasionally, until water has evaporated, about 1 hour; pork will begin to brown in its own fat. (If using leaner part of shoulder, add 1 to 2 tablespoons safflower oil.) Increase heat to medium and cook pork on all sides, turning and scraping up crisp bits with a spatula, until browned and tender, about 15 minutes. Coarsely shred with two forks.

ENCHILADAS ROJAS

Steps:

• THE SAUCE: Heat a dry skillet or griddle over medium. Tear the chiles into flat pieces, then toast them a few at a time: Use a metal spatula to press the chile pieces flat against the hot surface, skin side up, until they are aromatic and have lightened in color underneath, about 10 seconds. (If heat is right, you'll have a slight crackle when you press them down, but you shouldn't see more than the slightest wisp of smoke.) Place in a bowl, cover with about 3 cups very hot tap water, lay a small plate on the chiles to keep them submerged and soak for 20 minutes.
• Use a pair of tongs to transfer the rehydrated chiles to a food processor or blender. Measure 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid and add it to the chiles along with the garlic. Blend to a smooth puree, then push through a medium-mesh strainer into a pie plate. The consistency should be like that of canned tomato sauce. Taste (the sauce will be a little rough on the tongue at this point) and season highly with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon.
• OTHER PRELIMINARIES: Set out the grated cheese and sliced onion. If using the optional chicken, warm it in a microwave or in a small skillet over medium-low heat (for stove-top heating, you'll want to dribble in a little water to keep it from sticking).
• FINISHING THE ENCHILADAS: Heat the oven to 350°F Place the sauce and tortillas near the stove, with a baking sheet beside them. Set a small (8-inch) skillet (preferable nonstick) over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil or lard. When the oil is hot, dip both sides of a tortilla into the sauce, then lay it in the oil. Let is sear and sizzle for about 20 seconds, then use a small spatula to flip it over. Sear the other side for about 20 seconds. Transfer to the baking sheet, folding it occasionally and then heating another tablespoon of oil or lard to fry a new batch. Arrange the fried, folded tortillas in groups of three, overlapping them. Pop them into the oven to heat through, about 5 minutes.
• While the enchiladas are heating, in a small bowl, toss the lettuce with the vinegar and a good sprinkling of salt.
• Divide the warm enchiladas among four dinner plates and sprinkle liberally with the grated cheese. Top with the sliced onion, chicken (if you are using it) and a generous portion of the dressed romaine. These wait for no one.