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Cheese Enchiladas


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I don't have a particular take on the "right" way to make TexMex cheesezenchiladas, but damn I am nwo hungry.

However, tonight's dinner is my latest spin on Texas Red.  I am going to eat a shit ton of chili . . . after I go to the second soccer match of the day in the hot, humid hellhole known as Round Rock.  Did the hurricane show up?  FUCK that noon game was horrible.

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10 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

 Back in the day, I had a friend who started dating a teacher and the only reason he went out with her more than once was so he could meet her for lunch at the school cafeteria on enchilada day. 

Your friend's jr high didn't serve the same enchiladas?

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10 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Holy shit. I cannot rep this post enough. I'm so making these. And I'm making cornbread to go with it too. 

People will scoff at you when you tell them that the best enchiladas you ever ate were in a school cafeteria, but I stand by it. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Browns and the original Casbeer's enchiladas were so good and Blanco Cafe is up there too (and Jacala and Garcia's and Los Barrios, etc.), but San Antonio school lunch enchiladas were the absolute best.  

If you didn't grow up in San Antonio, I can't explain the cultural significance of enchilada day (aka Wednesday). The enchiladas were so  good, they would actually chart increased school attendance on enchilada day. When the lunch bell rang, there would be a mad dash to the cafeteria because the line would be out the fucking door and you ran the risk of them either running out or your not having enough time to eat. One kid broke his arm running toward the cafeteria on enchilada day when he put his hand through the plate glass window on the door trying to push it open. I'm pretty sure he still tried to get in line before going to the nurse. Back in the day, I had a friend who started dating a teacher and the only reason he went out with her more than once was so he could meet her for lunch at the school cafeteria on enchilada day. 

Well OK then.   I’m in.  Enchiladas using this recipe next weekend at the deer lease for after the dive shoot.  
 

 

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43 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Holy shit. I cannot rep this post enough. I'm so making these. And I'm making cornbread to go with it too. 

People will scoff at you when you tell them that the best enchiladas you ever ate were in a school cafeteria, but I stand by it. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Browns and the original Casbeer's enchiladas were so good and Blanco Cafe is up there too (and Jacala and Garcia's and Los Barrios, etc.), but San Antonio school lunch enchiladas were the absolute best.  

If you didn't grow up in San Antonio, I can't explain the cultural significance of enchilada day (aka Wednesday). The enchiladas were so  good, they would actually chart increased school attendance on enchilada day. When the lunch bell rang, there would be a mad dash to the cafeteria because the line would be out the fucking door and you ran the risk of them either running out or your not having enough time to eat. One kid broke his arm running toward the cafeteria on enchilada day when he put his hand through the plate glass window on the door trying to push it open. I'm pretty sure he still tried to get in line before going to the nurse. Back in the day, I had a friend who started dating a teacher and the only reason he went out with her more than once was so he could meet her for lunch at the school cafeteria on enchilada day. 

seconded

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2 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

you didn't grow up in San Antonio, I can't explain the cultural significance of enchilada day (aka Wednesday). The enchiladas were so  good, they would actually chart increased school attendance on enchilada day. When the lunch bell rang, there would be a mad dash to the cafeteria because the line would be out the fucking door and you ran the risk of them either running out or your not having enough time to eat. One kid broke his arm running toward the cafeteria on enchilada day when he put his hand through the plate glass window on the door trying to push it open. I'm pretty sure he still tried to get in line before going to the nurse. Back in the day, I had a friend who started dating a teacher and the only reason he went out with her more than once was so he could meet her for lunch at the school cafeteria on enchilada day. 

This would make a great short story.

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4 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Holy shit. I cannot rep this post enough. I'm so making these. And I'm making cornbread to go with it too. 

People will scoff at you when you tell them that the best enchiladas you ever ate were in a school cafeteria, but I stand by it. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Browns and the original Casbeer's enchiladas were so good and Blanco Cafe is up there too (and Jacala and Garcia's and Los Barrios, etc.), but San Antonio school lunch enchiladas were the absolute best.  

If you didn't grow up in San Antonio, I can't explain the cultural significance of enchilada day (aka Wednesday). The enchiladas were so  good, they would actually chart increased school attendance on enchilada day. When the lunch bell rang, there would be a mad dash to the cafeteria because the line would be out the fucking door and you ran the risk of them either running out or your not having enough time to eat. One kid broke his arm running toward the cafeteria on enchilada day when he put his hand through the plate glass window on the door trying to push it open. I'm pretty sure he still tried to get in line before going to the nurse. Back in the day, I had a friend who started dating a teacher and the only reason he went out with her more than once was so he could meet her for lunch at the school cafeteria on enchilada day. 

That looks absolutely incredible.  I'm saving that one.

Am I seeing that right -- 12 oz ground beef yields 36 enchiladas?

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Just in case you didn't take good and proper notes from the video:

STEP ONE- The Enchilada Sauce

Combine:

  • 3 ounces flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 2/3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Mix dry ingredients together. Heat two-thirds cup oil in saucepan. Add seasoning and mix together. Slowly add two cups of water and whisk to prevent clumps. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

STEP TWO- The Enchilada Chili

Combine:
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/4 tablespoons chili powder

Mix dry ingredients together. Brown 12 ounces of ground beef on stove top. Stir in the seasoning mix and cook two more minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of water. Add 1 1/4 cup canned tomatoes (with juice). Add 2 1/4 ounces of tomato paste. Mix together, bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.

STEP THREE- The Enchiladas

Steam 36 corn tortillas

Place 1/2 ounce of cheese on each tortilla

Arrange in greased pan

Pour the enchilada sauce

Top with cheese

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly

Top with chili
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5 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Just in case you didn't take good and proper notes from the video:

STEP ONE- The Enchilada Sauce

Combine:

  • 3 ounces flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 2/3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Mix dry ingredients together. Heat two-thirds cup oil in saucepan. Add seasoning and mix together. Slowly add two cups of water and whisk to prevent clumps. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

STEP TWO- The Enchilada Chili

Combine:
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/4 tablespoons chili powder

Mix dry ingredients together. Brown 12 ounces of ground beef on stove top. Stir in the seasoning mix and cook two more minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of water. Add 1 1/4 cup canned tomatoes (with juice). Add 2 1/4 ounces of tomato paste. Mix together, bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.

STEP THREE- The Enchiladas

Steam 36 corn tortillas

Place 1/2 ounce of cheese on each tortilla

Arrange in greased pan

Pour the enchilada sauce

Top with cheese

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly

Top with chili

Can you convert this to metric?

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12 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

While convenient, pre-shredded cheese is tossed in a bunch of anti-caking shit to keep the cheese from sticking together in the bag. Which also fucks with the meltiness of the cheese. It's a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's best to shred your own cheese. And for a site that will spend two pages debating American vs. Cheddar, achieving peak meltiness seems pretty important. 

Yeah, I can't do that that pre-bagged stuff.  Wrong texture, non-melty, and just doesn't taste very good either.

And not that it matters to all the surly 1%ers up in here, but the additional benefit is that it's cheaper to shred your own, too.

 

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21 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

While convenient, pre-shredded cheese is tossed in a bunch of anti-caking shit to keep the cheese from sticking together in the bag. Which also fucks with the meltiness of the cheese. It's a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's best to shred your own cheese. And for a site that will spend two pages debating American vs. Cheddar, achieving peak meltiness seems pretty important. 

Yeah, this.  I've actually used that shred blend when in a hurry -- it works pretty well.  But shredding your own is definitely superior and my preference.

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49 minutes ago, Bevo VIII said:


Eating Tex mex in north Texas, my condolences

I get that southern Texans are prideful of their Tex-Mex but I enjoy all the various regions different takes on Tex-Mex. I just don’t think one is superior to any other. Cheddar cheese tastes better. The melty qualities of American cheese is nice but flavor wise, it’s pretty meh.

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1 hour ago, Texaspython said:

I get that southern Texans are prideful of their Tex-Mex but I enjoy all the various regions different takes on Tex-Mex. I just don’t think one is superior to any other. Cheddar cheese tastes better. The melty qualities of American cheese is nice but flavor wise, it’s pretty meh.

Spoken like a true commie.  
 

(jk)

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1 hour ago, Texaspython said:

I get that southern Texans are prideful of their Tex-Mex but I enjoy all the various regions different takes on Tex-Mex. I just don’t think one is superior to any other. 

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. You are absolutely 100 percent wrong -- like Greg Davis calling 20 straight swing passes behind the line of scrimmage against OU wrong -- but nonetheless entitled to that opinion. I'm pretty sure they don't even know how to properly make a homemade tortilla north of loop 1604. 

And you can take that from someone who just a few posts up claimed the best enchiladas he ever ate were in a public school cafeteria. So I'm clearly an expert. 

Edited by Mitch Cumsteen
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1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I make my 16 YO son shred the cheese.  Last time he bitched up a storm so I told him "you've been doing that same motion a couple of hours per day for over a year, 10 more minutes isn't gonna kill you".

His mother was not amused.

Don't tell him about the cheese grater blade for the food processor until he's done. Then pull it out and shred a pound of cheese in about 45 seconds.

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35 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. You are absolutely 100 percent wrong -- like Greg Davis calling 20 straight swing passes behind the line of scrimmage against OU wrong -- but nonetheless entitled to that opinion. I'm pretty sure they don't even know how to properly make a homemade tortilla north of loop 1604. 

And you can take that from someone who just a few posts up claimed the best enchiladas he ever ate were in a public school cafeteria. So I'm clearly an expert. 

Honestly, Lubys enchiladas aren’t bad.

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my entire family was born in San Antonio or South Texas (see Carrizo Springs or Stockdale).  Cheese Enchiladas to me are the fundamental dish of any Tex-Mex joint and a bad batch will kill my desire to try anything else they make. My grandmother (who by the way pronounced them En-chee-ladees) made to this day what I consider to be the best - of course most will say their grandmother made the best!

 

They were cheesy, they were greasy, and they were loaded with onions.  She used those red corn tortillas - not sure if those added flavor but visually they were stunning.  Now very hungry

 

 

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4 hours ago, MAROON said:

my entire family was born in San Antonio or South Texas (see Carrizo Springs or Stockdale).  Cheese Enchiladas to me are the fundamental dish of any Tex-Mex joint and a bad batch will kill my desire to try anything else they make. My grandmother (who by the way pronounced them En-chee-ladees) made to this day what I consider to be the best - of course most will say their grandmother made the best!

 

They were cheesy, they were greasy, and they were loaded with onions.  She used those red corn tortillas - not sure if those added flavor but visually they were stunning.  Now very hungry

 

 

I’ve only seen the red corn tortillas in San Antonio.

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12 hours ago, MAROON said:

my entire family was born in San Antonio or South Texas (see Carrizo Springs or Stockdale).  Cheese Enchiladas to me are the fundamental dish of any Tex-Mex joint and a bad batch will kill my desire to try anything else they make. My grandmother (who by the way pronounced them En-chee-ladees) made to this day what I consider to be the best - of course most will say their grandmother made the best!

 

They were cheesy, they were greasy, and they were loaded with onions.  She used those red corn tortillas - not sure if those added flavor but visually they were stunning.  Now very hungry

 

 

Your grandma seems to be a state treasure.  Bad-ass grandmas cranking out killer, greasy, oniony cheese “en-chee-ladees” with red tortillas is f’ing awesome.  
 

Grandmas making the effort is way underrated and under appreciated. 

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23 hours ago, irishtexan said:

While convenient, pre-shredded cheese is tossed in a bunch of anti-caking shit to keep the cheese from sticking together in the bag. Which also fucks with the meltiness of the cheese. It's a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's best to shred your own cheese. And for a site that will spend two pages debating American vs. Cheddar, achieving peak meltiness seems pretty important. 

I find that the Tillamook shredded cheese is better than most, but agree that you're better off with a block and a shredder and doing it yourself for any recipe that calls for such. 

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There are things added to shredded cheese to inhibit mold and prevent clumping, namely, among others, potato starch, powdered cellulose, and natamycin.  These inhibit melting and emulsification, meaning the cheese will separate on melting.

They're a disaster when trying to make bechamel or macncheese.

YMMV with some brands.  I wouldn't be surprised if Tillamook or other premium brands omitted or used less of these things.

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47 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Need recs for "chili powder" in that San Antonio schools recipe.  Gebhardt?  Fiesta?  A "San Antonio" blend like they sell in bulk at HEB?

Yes, I know I can roll my own.  I'd at least like to know what I'm aiming for.

Quit being a gotdam yankee and make your own chile sauce that will taste 100X better than using powder:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-re-hydrate-chiles-2343043

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