Dinner 7: New Mexico

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Stacked Cheese Enchiladas with New Mexican Red Chile Sauce
Spanish Rice
New Mexico Style Calabacitas
Sopapillas with Cinnamon Sugar

Justin's Review

For our next dinner, I chose New Mexico. I didn't know anything about New Mexico when I chose it, but I thought the food would be good, even though I don't think I've ever had anything from there before. Mommy said it might be spicy, but she'd make it less spicy for me if I wanted, which I did.

I helped Mommy make some tortillas, by mixing the flour and then rolling them out. I also tried one after it was cooked - it was really yummy and reminded me of a pizza with no toppings!

I really really liked the enchiladas, which were kind of like a lasagna, but with tortillas instead of pasta. I also liked the rice, but not the tomatoes in it. And I liked the corn, but not the squash that was mixed with it. For dessert, we had sopapillas, which were like cinnamon sugar cookies, but also like bread. They were yummy! I had more of them as a snack the next day, too.

Recipes

Stacked Cheese Enchiladas with New Mexican Red Chile Sauce

(original recipe from red or green?)

2 tablespoons olive oil
9 corn tortillas (see recipe below)
1 pound shredded cheddar soy cheese
1 white onion, diced
2 scallions, minced
1 cup New Mexican chile sauce, or more, if desired (see recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush a 2.2 quart casserole dish with olive oil. Pour half a cup of the chile sauce into dish and spread to cover the bottom. Cover the sauce with a single layer of tortillas, tearing pieces to cover any gaps. Sprinkle 1/3 of the soy cheese over the tortillas, and 1/2 of the onions and 1/2 of the scallions over the soy cheese. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the chile sauce, then add another layer of tortillas, soy cheese, onions and scallions. Cover with any remaining tortillas, and the remaining sauce and soy cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Granny's Corn Flour Tortillas

(original recipe from allrecipe.com)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
Cooking oil, for pan

In a large bowl, combine the flour and cornmeal. Add the baking powder and salt and mix together well. Stir in the water to form a crumbly dough. Work the dough with your hands until it holds together.

On a floured surface, knead the dough until smooth. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a ball. Cover lightly with saran wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly oil the pan.

Working with one dough ball at a time, flatten it by hand, then roll it into a 9 inch round. Place it into the pan and cook until light brown. Repeat with remaining tortillas and re-oiling the pan as necessary.

New Mexican Red Chile Sauce

(original recipe from red or green?)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup New Mexican ground red chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Cook the onions until they are translucent. Add the garlic and salt and cook for 1 minute.

Add 1 tablespoon of the flour and stir until incorporated and no lumps remain. Repeat with the second tablespoon. Cook for 1 minute, then add the water and chile powder, stirring until well combined. Add the oregano and cumin and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Spanish Rice

(original recipe from Food.com)

1 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup green chile, drained
1 teaspoon oil
2/3 cup long-grain rice
1 1/3 cups water
salt and pepper, to taste

Saute rice in oil until brown. Add onion, tomato, garlic, green chile and water. Cover and simmer until water is absorbed.

New Mexico Style Calabacitas

(original recipe from Adobe Nido)

1 yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and chopped.
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and chopped.
1 cup frozen sweet corn
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup shredded soy mozzarella cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup prepared green chile
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, until fragrant. Add squash and zucchini and cook until they are about halfway done. Add the corn and cook until it is thawed. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, then transfer to a 1 quart casserole dish. Stir in the soy cheese and chile.

Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes.

Sopapillas with Cinnamon Sugar

(original recipe from Cynthia Pineda)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening
2/3 cup warm soy milk
Oil, for frying
Cinnamon sugar, for serving

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening, then add in the soy milk and quickly mix the dough until it forms a ball.

Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it until it is no longer sticky.

Re-flour the board and gently roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut the dough into approximately 10-inch by 5-inch rectangles.

Heat the oil in a deep skillet until it reaches 400 degrees.

Carefully slide the first sopapilla into the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Cook until the sopapilla is a light golden brown, turning half way through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the sopapilla and drain on a paper towel.

Serve with cinnamon sugar.