Beef enchiladas with chipotle-pasilla chili gravy

For Lent, I gave up beef. Now, I wouldn’t say that I necessarily have a beef-eating problem, but there was a period right before Ash Wednesday when I found myself eating beef at least twice a day. My body urged me to take a break, and so I did.

Actually, after a while I didn’t miss it that much—there are plenty of other satisfying foods to eat in the world. That said, a reader over on my Facebook page asked for a beef enchilada recipe. Her request took root and grew throughout my abstention, and as soon as Easter arrived I decided to make beef enchiladas my first order of business.

I have to admit that I seldom order beef enchiladas when I eat Tex-Mex. Nope, I’m more a cheese enchilada or sour-cream enchilada gal. I was trying to remember the last time I even ate beef enchiladas, and the best I could deduce was that it was several years ago when a couple was added to a combination platter.



In my recollection, however, it was a fine specimen of the enchilada genre. The tortillas were drowning in a soulful and smooth chili gravy, while the ground beef filling was peppery and bright. I mixed each bite with some beans and rice, and the iceberg lettuce garnish added a cooling contrast to the richness of the beef. Yep, it was an excellent Tex-Mex meal.

My aim was to try and recreate this experience in my own kitchen. While ancho chiles are normally the base of Tex-Mex sauces, I decided to use pasilla chiles, which are similar in flavor but with more of a bittersweet tone. I also added chipotle chiles, for their smoky heat.

For the filling, I opted to go with ground beef. Now, there are some who prefer shredded beef as a filling, but when I was young I suffered through a plate of enchiladas with shreds so tough they made my mouth sore. I’ve avoided this type of enchilada ever since. I kept my filling simple by flavoring the ground beef with only onion, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. A spoonful of the chili gravy stirred into the meat made it complete.



The enchiladas came together in no time, and were extremely satisfying. And yes, these beef enchiladas were not only a welcome return to eating beef, but I’m certain they’ll be a welcome part of my Tex-Mex cooking rotation, as well. They made me smile and hopefully they'll make you smile, too.

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As an addendum, I am thrilled that Homesick Texan is a finalist in the Best Regional Cuisine category for the second annual Saveur Best Food Blog Awards, as I see it as recognition that Texan cuisine is indeed worthy of respect and praise. If you care to vote, please visit Saveur. Thank you!

Beef enchiladas with chipotle-pasilla chili gravy

For the pasilla-chipotle chili gravy:
1 or 2 dried chipotle chiles (depending on how hot you want it), seeds and stems removed
4 dried pasilla chiles, seeds and stems removed
1/4 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Pinch of ground allspice
3 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the enchiladas:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced and divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of lard or vegetable oil
12 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)


Method:
In a dry skillet heated on high, toast the pasilla and chipotle chiles on each side for about 10 seconds or just until they start to puff. Fill the skillet with enough water to cover chiles. Leave the heat on until water begins to boil and then turn off the heat and let the chiles soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Once hydrated, discard the soaking water and rinse the chiles. Place in a blender.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, in heat up the vegetable oil and while occasionally stirring cook the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Place cooked onion and garlic into the blender, along with the cumin, oregano, allspice and the broth. Blend until smooth.

In a pot, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil on low heat, whisking in the flour until well incorporated. Pour in the sauce and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and black pepper to taste and adjust other seasonings as needed. 


Meanwhile, in a skillet on medium heat (I use the same one that I used for the onions and garlic) add the ground beef, half of the diced onions and garlic. While stirring occasionally, cook the meat until browned, about 10 minutes. (If you like, you can drain the extra fat once the meet is browned.) Stir in the cumin and cook for 2 more minutes. Taste and add salt and black pepper to taste and adjust seasonings. Stir into the meat 1/4 cup of the chili gravy.

To make the enchiladas, first preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish. In a skillet, heat up the lard or oil on medium-low heat. One at a time, heat up the tortillas in the hot oil until soft and pliant. Lay each tortilla on a plate or clean cooking surface and add about 2 tablespoons of beef and some of the cheese. Roll the tortilla and place in greased baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining grated cheese and diced onions. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

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jalapeño egg salad recipe

This week, I’ve been plowing through my book’s page proofs, making corrections and cuts where needed. Unfortunately, I’m a bit of a perfectionist and when I turn in the proofs next week, I know that I’ll want more time.

But then I saw this Chinese proverb, “Were I to await perfection, my book would never be finished,” and I laughed because this is so true.

So what does this have to do with egg salad? Not a lot, except that it’s spring, which for me always signals a time for fresh beginnings and an opportunity to throw out the old to make room for the new.



That’s how I feel about my book right now—it’s time to send it along to make room for a new project in my life. And yes, eggs are a symbol of rebirth, which is why they’re so closely associated with my favorite spring holiday, Easter.

When I was young, my family and I would spend the week before Easter decorating hard-boiled eggs by dipping them in vinegar and food coloring. Sure, the eggs were fun and festive, but the best thing was having a refrigerator filled with leftover eggs.

Now, I don’t like hard-boiled eggs in too many things—whenever they pop up in meatballs, gravies, or soups, I tend to eat around them. But a plain, unfettered hard-boiled egg is probably the perfect snack—it’s portable, healthy and comes in earth-friendly packaging.

Of course, I tend to embellish and often I’ll take that egg and doctor it up a bit with some mayonnaise, mustard and jalapeños to make a salad. I started doing this back when I was in high school, and it’s been a favorite snack every since. It’s good as a dip with tortilla chips, though it also makes for a fine sandwich, especially with slices of avocado and bacon.



These days, I don’t often decorate eggs at Easter, but I still love hard-boiled eggs. And for the next few days, in between doing rain dances for the dry parts of Texas and finishing editing my proofs, I hoping this jalapeño egg salad will keep me satisfied and energized.

Jalapeño egg salad
Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs
1 pickled or fresh jalapeño, seeds and stems removed, diced
1 green onion, finely chopped, green part only (about a tablespoon)
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste
Bread or tortilla chips for serving

Method:
Peel the eggs and then roughly chop. Gently stir in the jalapeño, green onion, ground cumin, mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice. Add salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste.

Serve either on bread for a sandwich or tortilla chips as a dip.

Yield: about 2 cups

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Blue cheese scalloped potatoes with chipotle and bacon

Now, if you’re watching your weight you should stop reading right now, as these blue cheese scalloped potatoes with chipotle and bacon are not exactly waistline friendly. But believe you me—they are luxuriously good.

The inspiration for these came from a quick trip to Texas last week. It had been a few years since I’d seen the bluebonnets, and when a cheap, last minute fare to Austin presented itself to me, I immediately booked a flight.

My vague notion was that I would drive around Central Texas, and would be blown away by all the wildflowers. The reality, however, was a bit less spectacular as the weather had been dry and not many flowers had popped out of the ground just yet.

As I spoke to people in the various small towns I visited, I heard that the best bluebonnets were to be found in North Texas, with an exceptionally fine showing in Ennis. So even though my plan had been to spend my brief time in Texas in the Hill Country, I changed course and headed north.



After a night’s rest, I woke up before dawn and drove to Ennis, arriving just as the sun was rising. I’d found a map of the bluebonnet trail, and began to make my way to the areas marked as being especially lush. The reports did not lie—I’d never seen such a spectacular showing of bluebonnets.

Narrow, winding roads curved around farms with rolling hills and pastures blanketed in blue. I don’t know if the area’s farmers plant seeds or if these bluebonnets are wild, but the display was breathtaking. At one point, I stepped out of the car and could see nothing but fields and flowers for miles and miles. Save for an occasional house or cow, there were no other signs of civilization—I felt like the pioneers must have felt when the first saw Texas in all of its wild, unfettered glory.

Before heading back to Austin for my flight home, I stopped at a small-town café—the kind of place where the walls are covered in football uniforms, and the waitress greets you with a hearty, “Hey, Hon’!” On the board, cream potatoes were listed as one of the vegetables of the day. I ordered them, thinking that the potatoes would be sliced potatoes baked in a creamy sauce. But instead, they were just mashed potatoes, though very good mashed potatoes as they were full of lovable lumps, which told me they were made from scratch.



But you know when an idea gets into head and you can’t shake it out? Well, that’s how it was with the potatoes—I suddenly had a crazy craving for scalloped potatoes. So when I returned to New York, my first order of business was to at last make the creamy potatoes that I had hoped to eat in Texas.

In my fridge, I had some blue cheese so I added that to the potatoes. And as I always have bacon and chipotle chiles, I also threw them in, as I figured they’d play well with the other ingredients. It took a couple of tries to get this right (I don’t recommend putting heavy cream in a blender with garlic and chipotle chiles unless you want to make chipotle-garlic butter), but once I figured it out, I was extremely satisfied.



As I said earlier, this is a dish that is probably best saved for special occasions, such as Easter or other family gatherings. That said, it takes little time to prepare and if you’re looking to live a little large, you can’t go wrong with these potatoes made just a little fancier with blue cheese, chipotle and cream.

Blue cheese scalloped potatoes with chipotle and bacon

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled and divided
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 canned chipotle chile
Pinch of nutmeg
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch round slices
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 ounces sharp white cheddar, shredded
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, such as cast-iron, with the oil.

Pour the half-and-half into a blender and add half of the blue cheese (4 ounces), the garlic, chipotle chile and nutmeg. Blend until smooth. Pour the blender contents into a bowl. Add the heavy cream and whisk the two together.

Arrange half the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the skillet. Lightly season the potatoes with salt and black pepper. Pour half of the cream mixture over the potatoes. Top with half of the remaining blue cheese crumbles (2 ounces).

Layer on top the remaining potato slices. Lightly season the potatoes with salt and black pepper. Pour the rest of the thickened cream mixture on top, and top with the rest of the blue cheese (2 ounces).

Cover the skillet with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven, take off the foil and arrange on top the shredded cheddar and the crumbled bacon. Bake for 20 more minutes uncovered or until brown and bubbling and the potatoes are soft.

Yield: 8 servings

Note: I like a lot of cheese, but feel free to cut back if you prefer.

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Pastoral tacos

A friend was in town visiting from Mexico City last week, and we’d planned to get together and cook. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented us from hanging out, and so she said to me, “You need to come to Mexico!”

Indeed, I do.

My last trip to Mexico City was a couple of years ago, and while I ate myself silly all over town, my favorite meals were held at El Califa, a taqueria that was close to where I was staying. I had both my first and last meals at El Califa—along with a couple more in between—as their tacos are fresh and wonderful.

El Califa is a taqueria that specializes in tacos made with tender pieces of grilled steak or thin, juicy slices of al pastor pork. I love al pastor tacos but recreating them in my own kitchen has eluded me, primarily because they’re traditionally made with pork that’s been cooked on a vertical rotisserie, which is a tool I have not been able to recreate in my home.



So imagine my pleasure when I saw El Califa’s al pastor tacos get a shout out in Joe Yonan’s new book, Serve Yourself. Now, if you don’t know Joe Yonan, you should. He’s the food editor of the Washington Post who’s won many James Beard awards. His writing is heartfelt and charming, and his recipes are always inviting. But perhaps more importantly, Joe is a homesick Texan who grew up in San Angelo and went to school at the University of Texas.

The book is called Serve Yourself because it’s intended to be a cooking-for-one cookbook. Joe’s philosophy is that even if you’re eating along, this doesn’t mean you have to eat soulless, sad meals from a microwave. Besides a host of recipes that have been scaled down to one or two servings, he offers tips on how to store leftovers, such as half an avocado or half a jalapeño. That said, his recipes could be easily upsized for more portions.

Besides the al pastor tacos, Serve Yourself also has recipes for cheese enchiladas covered in his proper Texan chili, which does not include either beans or tomatoes. Yonan also pays homage to the classic taco salad we all grew up eating (though it was known as bean salad in my house, and Texas salad in his), updating it with a bit of feta and a cilantro vinaigrette. His food, while obviously influenced by his Texas upbringing (he has a whole chapter on tacos), also shows a love of sweet potatoes, Asian flavors, fresh vegetables, pizza, bacon and cheese.

But what about those pork tacos? He calls them Pastoral Tacos, as they’re not technically al pastor tacos, but instead a hybrid of the grilled steaks and the marinated pork tacos he ate at El Califa. To make them, you take pounded pork cutlets and marinate them in a simple pineapple juice and vinegar solution that’s been made smoky and earthy with pimentón and ancho chile powder. While the pork marinates, he has you whip up a quick pineapple salsa, which when paired with the pork, makes for a combination that’s tangy, spicy and slightly sweet.



When I made the tacos, they came together in little time, making for a quick, weeknight supper. Joe suggests serving the tacos as whole cutlets, but I preferred cutting them into strips. An added bonus to this method is that served with rice and beans, there was enough pork to feed two. And while they aren’t exactly the rotisserie meat offered at taquerias, these Pastoral Tacos are so moist and flavorful, I don’t think you’ll mind at all.

Pastoral Tacos, adapted from Serve Yourself by Joe Yonan

Ingredients:
3 (2-ounce) pork cutlets
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh pineapple juice
1/4 teaspoon pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)
1/2 teaspoon ancho-chile powder or red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 shallot, diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 medium jalapeño chile, seeds and stems removed, diced
Juice from 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Corn tortillas

Method:
Place each pork cutlet between two pieces of plastic and pound until they’re 1/8 of an inch thick. Place the cutlets in a plastic food-storage bag.

Mix together the vinegar, pineapple juice, pimentón, ancho-chile powder, salt and black pepper. Pour the marinade over the pork, seal the bag and give it a good shake to coat the meat. Let it marinate for 10 minutes to 1 hour unrefrigerated.

While the pork is marinating, for the salsa toss together the pineapple chunks, shallot, cilantro, diced jalapeño and lime juice. Add salt to taste.

To cook the pork, heat up the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Take the cutlets from the marinade, shake off any excess and add to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and cooked throughout. Turn off the heat, and allow the cutlets to rest for a minute. Add salt to taste.

Warm up the corn tortillas. Place the pork—either left in a cutlet or cut into strips—in a tortilla, and top with the pineapple salsa.

Yield: 1 or 2 servings

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