Issue Date: January 28, 2007
Super Bowl strategy: Crowd-pleasing enchiladas
For this year's big game, make enchiladas your winning Super Bowl party entree. I've come up with three festive varieties -- chicken, seafood or beef-bean, each with a different sauce. Feel free to mix things up: The cream and verde (green) sauces for the seafood and chicken enchiladas, respectively, are interchangeable. Or, try them with the red sauce I use in the beef-bean enchiladas. Each dish can be assembled in about the time it takes to make a weeknight supper and can be made ahead to pop in the oven as guests arrive. Depending on the crowd, make one, two or all three. With that kind of choice, you can please just about everyone.
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Spicy Chicken Enchiladas Verde
4 cups shredded, cooked chicken from 1 to 2 rotisserie chickens (save extra meat for another use)
1 32-ounce jar (4 cups) salsa verde, divided
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese (about 3 cups), shredded and divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Salt and ground black pepper
16 6-inch corn tortillas
1/2 medium white onion, halved and sliced thin
Optional: sour cream and guacamole, to serve
Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix chicken with 3/4 cup of the salsa verde, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, and salt and pepper, to taste. Spread 1 cup of the salsa over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Microwave tortillas on high power in a microwave-safe plastic bag until warm, about 45 seconds. Then, working one at a time, spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken filling into a tortilla. Roll into a cylinder and place, seam-side down, in baking dish. (You may have to turn some sideways to get all to fit.) Drizzle enchiladas evenly with 1 1/2 cups of the salsa, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Lightly spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray, cover dish and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with onion and remaining cilantro, let stand for a few minutes, and serve with remaining salsa verde (and optional sour cream and guacamole).
Serves 8
2 enchiladas: 335 calories, 23g carbohydrates, 29g protein, 13g fat (6g saturated), 87mg cholesterol, 2g fiber, 674mg sodium
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Creamy Seafood Enchiladas with Chilies & Pimento-Stuffed Olives
1 pound lump crab meat, picked over carefully for shell and cartilage
8 ounces frozen cooked salad shrimp (very small), thawed and drained
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pimento-stuffed olives
8 ounces (3 cups) shredded Monterey Jackcheese, divided
2 8-ounce bottles clam juice
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 4.5-ounce can chopped green chilies
16 6-inch corn tortillas
Mix crab, shrimp, olivesand 1 1/2 cups of theMonterey Jack cheese in a medium bowl.
Microwave clam juice, milk and garlic in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl until steamy hot, 6 to 8 minutes, or heat in a saucepan over medium heat.
Meanwhile, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, whisk in flour until well blended. Pour in hot milk mixture all at once; whisk vigorously until sauce is smooth and starts to thicken. Whisk in Parmesan cheese and chilies; continue to simmer until sauce is of cream soup thickness. Stir 3/4 cup of the sauce into the seafood, and spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Adjust oven rack to center position and heat to 400 F.
Microwave tortillas on high power in a microwave-safe plastic bag until warm, about 45 seconds. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling into a tortilla. Roll into a cylinder and place, seam-side down, in prepared baking dish. (You may need to turn some sideways to make them all fit.) Drizzle enchiladas with 1 cup of the sauce, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Lightly spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray, cover the dish and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and let stand for a few minutes. Warm remaining sauce (and thin with water, if necessary, to cream soup consistency) and serve over enchiladas.
Serves 8
2 enchiladas: 387 calories, 26g carbohydrates, 33g protein, 17g fat (9g saturated), 141mg cholesterol, 2g fiber, 1,372mg sodium
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Beef & Bean Enchiladas with Red Sauce
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 15.5-ounce can pinto beans, drained, half the beans mashed
8 ounces pepper Jack cheese (about 3 cups), shredded and divided
1 Tb. olive oil
1 large white onion, halved, half finely diced, remaining half thinly sliced
1 16-ounce can plus 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup sour cream, plus extra for passing, if you like
16 6-inch corn tortillas
Adjust oven rack to center position, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until meat loses its raw color and liquid evaporates, about 7 minutes. Add chili powder; continue to saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in mashed and whole beans, along with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese; set aside.
Meanwhile, return unwashed skillet to burner and heat oil. Add the finely diced onions; saute until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce; simmer about 8 to 10 minutes to concentrate flavors (it should almost look like tomato paste), stirring frequently and reducing heat if sauce starts sputtering dramatically. Add broth; bring back to a simmer. Remove from heat; whisk in sour cream. Stir 3/4 cup of the sauce into the meat mixture, and spread 1 cup sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Microwave tortillas on high power in a microwave-safe plastic bag until warm, about 45 seconds. Working one at a time, spoon about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture into a tortilla. Roll into a cylinder and place, seam-side down in prepared baking dish. Drizzle enchiladas with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Lightly spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray, cover the dish and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle top with onion slices. Let stand for a few minutes, and serve with remaining sauce and additional sour cream, if you like.
Serves 8
Per serving: 404 calories, 29g carbohydrates, 32g protein, 18g fat (9g saturated), 77mg cholesterol, 6g fiber, 1,172mg sodium
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