Lately, I’ve been craving my mom’s enchiladas. More specifically, her sauce, but I don’t know how to make her sauce. My mom is a little of this, little of that type of cook-like all moms. She doesn’t write recipes. She feels I should know how to cook everything she did by remembering times of helping in the kitchen as a child and how it tastes.
So my mother’s enchilada recipe, as she explained it to me, is:
Dried peppers
Tomato
Garlic
Onion
oregano
Chicken broth
Boil everything and then blend it.
I was a little confused and annoyed when she initially told me that. After calling her a few times while I was in the store and asking her what to grab, I made a version that tasted like hers.
Ingredients
• 3 ancho peppers
• 3 guajillo peppers
• Half on one onion
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 cups water or chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• A pinch of salt
You can also add 2-3 dried Arbol peppers if your want the sauce to be spicier.
Instructions
1. Lay the dried peppers on the skillet and toast them each for a minute or two until they become fragrant. Remove and set aside. Next, place the onion, garlic, and tomatoes on the skillet and toast until lightly browned.
2. Remove the stems from the peppers. Slice the peppers open and remove and discard all of the seeds and the membranes
3. Bring your peppers in chicken broth to a rolling boil. Once at a boil, remove from heat and let them sit for 20-30 minutes until soft.
4. Boil tomatoes, onion, and garlic in water
5. Place the peppers and their liquid along with the onion, tomato, garlic, and all remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
6. Heat a tablespoon or so of oil to a pot, then add red sauce. Simmer it uncovered for about 30 minutes. The sauce should be the thickness of heavy cream.
Add a little more water if you prefer it thinner.
And I’ll continue with the recipe with how it was told to me.
- Cook and shred chicken and drown it in the combined salsa
- Dice onion and shred cheese, and mix in a bowl
- Dip tortillas in the red sauce and fry
- Add onion cheese and chicken
- Top with lettuce, red sauce and more cheese and onion
- Serve with beans, rice.
Does anyone else’s parents who cook give them vague instructions? Is this the trend? When will I know to stop trying my hardest to write down everything as I do it and just say cook with a little of this and a pinch of that?
