I’m cooking a lot these days, even more than usual. Trying to stay busy and sharing the love by dropping some dinners at back doors and gates. Being creative with what I have, using up leftovers or things I’m going to lose if I don’t use! I had some unused avocados from a canceled event, so smashing them into this filling and then making these enchiladas in the next day or two when I had the time was a great way to save these valuable avocados. I make this Ranchero Red Sauce by the huge batch in my “big ass pot” and then process them in the canner so I always have a jar of this on hand. Substitute a can of enchilada sauce if you don’t want to make the red sauce. But if you have some time, this sauce is wonderful and the ingredients just might be on the “easier to find” list.
Sometimes I just fold these over like tacos and serve them straight up without baking them. They are delicious!
avocado filling:
3-4 ripe avocados
1/2 small white onion, minced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, minced
1-2 serrano pepper or jalapeño peppers, minced (seeded or not)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
ranchero red sauce:
4-5 dried chiles such as Pasilla or Guajillo
2 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
5-6 Roma tomatoes (or one 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes)
1/2 small white onion, cut into large chunks
3-5 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of black pepper
optional: 4-8 ounces of canned tomato sauce for a darker red color
enchildas:
12-16 corn tortillas
sour cream or Crema Mexicana
1-2 cups cotija cheese, queso fresco or crumbled feta*
*I sometimes use shredded cheddar or a mexican blend of cheese, whatever I have on hand
For the Filling: Mash the flesh of the avocados until smooth. Add all other filling ingredients and set aside.
For the Ranchero Red: Place dried chiles in a dry iron skillet and place another smaller pan or large can on top to weight chiles for good contact with bottom of skillet. Over medium high heat, toast chiles for several minutes on each side until a bit of color begins to show. When cool, cut the stems off of the roasted chiles and shake the seeds out. Bring the stock or water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan and pour over chiles in a bowl. Let stand, covered for about 30 minutes. Drain, reserve liquid and pour back into the saucepan. Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. Squeeze out the seeds and discard. Combine tomatoes with liquid in saucepan, hydrated chiles, onions, garlic salt, cumin, oregano and black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered. Let boil for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes and onions are soft. Puree with an immersion stick blender or in a processor until smooth. Add tomato sauce if using, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
To assemble: Place about ¼ cup of Ranchero Red in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Warm tortillas until soft, either dry over a gas flame, in the microwave or you can even sizzle them in a skillet with some vegetable oil for a few seconds. Place 2 tablespoons of avocado filling in each; dollop a bit of sour cream in each (about a teaspoon), sprinkle with a bit of the cheese and roll up tightly. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Drizzle each with more Ranchero Red, top with crumbled cheese. Serve right away or bake for 10-12 minutes in a 325º oven. Drizzle with additional sour cream or crema when serving.
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