Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 6 dried ancho chilies
• 1 - 2 cups boiling water
• 6 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped, OR
• 2 cups canned Roma tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup onions, diced
• 1 tsp. garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. epazote, crumbled
• sugar
• salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 5 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cream OR half-and-half
• 6 chorizo sausages, skinned and chopped, OR
• 3/4 lb. spiced pork, chicken or turkey sausage, skinned and chopped
• 1 cup queso blanco crumbled, OR Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 12 tortillas
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped

Procedure

1. Soak the chilies in boiling water for 30 minutes.
2. Wearing gloves, stem, seed and cut them into small pieces.
3. Put the chilies and 1 cup of soaking water in a blender and purée at high speed for 20 seconds.
4. Add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, epazote, sugar, salt and black pepper and blend to a smooth purée.
5. In a frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat over high heat for 3 minutes.
6. Pour in the tomato sauce and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
7. Remove from the heat.
8. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the cream or half-and-half until well blended.
9. Slowly pour the egg and cream into the pan with the sauce, stirring constantly.
10. Cover and set aside.
11. In another frying pan, fry the sausage meat over moderate heat for 5 minutes or so, until they are lightly browned.
12. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Discard the fat in the frying pan.
13. Place the sausages in a small bowl and stir in three tablespoons of sauce and ½ a cup of cheese.
14. Heat the oven to 350ºF.
15. In a heavy frying pan, fry the tortillas, one at a time, in very hot olive oil as follows.
    1. Dip a tortilla in the tomato sauce.
    2. Fry for a minute each side in the pan.
    3. Remove the tortilla to a warm plate and place about ¼ cup of sausage mixture in the centre.
    4. Roll up the tortilla with the filling inside.
16. Place tortillas in a baking dish , seam side down.
17. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over them.
18. Sprinkle the top with the green onions and ½ cup cheese.
19. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the top has browned lightly.

Notes

• Always wear glove when handling hot chillies and do not touch your face or eyes when doing so.
• 3 cups of leftover cooked chicken or pork may be substituted for the sausage, in which case do not brown it but add it to the tomato sauce directly.