Wow. That was easier than I thought it would be. Yes, the enchiladas, I guess, but really the presidential election. The polls closed, the race was called, one candidate conceeded, another candidate accepted, and it seems like everyone I know has spent the day straddling joy and disbelief.
We listened and watched returns and drank wine and sat around smiling and gorged a bit on these enchiladas. Considering they were made entirely with stuff I had sitting around the house… well, you wouldn’t guess that by how they taste.
Mushroom potato chile enchiladas
1 oz. dried wild mushrooms
1/2 lb. mushrooms, stems finely chopped and caps sliced
1/2 pound mild green chiles, roasted, peeled, and chopped
1 lb. potatoes, scrubbed cleaned and cut into 1/4-inch dice
9 corn tortillas
Vegetable oil
Salt
1 recipe Enchilada sauce (below)
About 8 oz. queso fresco
Soak dried mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water for about half and hour. Lift them out and chop them up. Reserve the soaking liquid. In a large frying pan over high heat drizzle a bit of oil and cook the fresh and dried mushrooms, stirring as much as you care to, until they’ve released all their liquid and that liquid is mostly evaporated. Add potatoes and chiles and about 1/2 tsp. salt and stir it all up. Pour in reserved mushroom-soaking liquid, cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 375. In a frying pan over medium heat heat about 1/4 inch of oil. Fry tortillas just to soften them, about 10 seconds each. Lay a softened tortilla flat, spread about 1/9 of the vegetable mixture down the center, roll it up and place in a large oiled baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
Pour sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbling and enchiladas are heated through, about 20 minutes.
Enchilada Sauce
Remove stems and seeds from 2 oz. each dried pasilla negro chiles and dried ancho chiles in 2 cups boiling water (or more to cover) for about half an hour. Lift chiles out of water (reserve liquid) and put in a blender. Add 1 can (about 14 oz.) canned tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. salt, and about 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid. Whirl until smooth and creamy. Add more soaking liquid to get a pourable sauce, if necessary. Taste and add more salt if you like.
Lisa T | 07-Nov-08 at 5:47 pm | Permalink
Yummers! I made this last night (threw in some spinach for health karma) and it was delish! And you’re right — perfect recipe for scrappy leftover ingredients when you don’t feel like shopping.
Molly Watson | 19-Nov-08 at 5:53 pm | Permalink
So glad you liked them! Spinach is a very good idea. Chard would work great too.