Cheese Enchiladas

Our house loves any meal that is Mexican, and this is near the top of the list.  It helps to have a second pair of hands to help with frying the tortillas, and it makes it more enjoyable as well.

Serves 4-6

1 lb  mild cheddar cheese, grated

12 corn tortillas

Vegetable oil

1/4-1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 19 oz can Enchilada sauce, heated (see recipe I use below)

Sour cream, optional

Guacamole, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a tbsp of vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium heat.  Using tongs, dip a corn tortilla into the hot oil. When the tortilla starts to bubble, turn. The goal here is to make the tortillas soft. (If the tortillas are left in the oil too long they will get hard and be difficult to roll.)  Once you soften them, dip the tortillas into hot enchilada sauce to coat. Now put the tortilla on a plate to cool one minute.

Add a hand full of the grated cheese and sprinkle some onion down the center of one tortilla and roll it. Pick up the cheese enchilada with your fore fingers on the bottom where the seam is. Let your pinky fingers cover the ends of the enchilada to keep the cheese from falling out while you move it to an oven proof dish.

Using a ladle, pour hot enchilada sauce over the top of the cheese enchiladas and let plenty of sauce run down the sides. Remember, the sauce is what makes it!

Sprinkle more cheese and onion on top in the desired amount.   Heat the cheese enchiladas until they look somewhat flat and the sauce is bubbling. This will probably take 15 minutes or more.

Easy Enchilada Sauce

From foodnetwork.com, Emeril Lagasse

Makes 2 ½ cups sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon corn starch

2 Tablespoons chili powder, more to taste

2 cups vegetable stock

10 ounces tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

Hot pepper sauce, to taste

In a medium saucepan heat oil, add corn starch, smoothing and stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add stock, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken and smooth out. Adjust the seasonings and add hot pepper sauce for correct spice. Serve atop your favorite enchiladas.