The etymology of food names is a vast and fascinating subject. Some foods are named after the person who invented them, others after an area and some have their names directly lifted from the language of their country of origin.

One example of this is the enchilada. With a name deriving from the Spanish word ‘enchilar’ meaning ‘to season with chilli’ the name of the dish is a direct description of how it is made. In a similar vein, empanadas (a type of pasty) have a name derived from ‘empanar’ meaning ‘to coat in bread’.

Enchiladas were originally eaten as a street food and were unfilled tortillas dipped in a chilli sauce. Since then, they have evolved and been combined with other stuffed foods to created the dish that is known today. There are no strict rules as to what you can fill an enchilada with as long as it is spicy and, as a result, there are many different versions. Enchiladas suizas are topped with creamy sauces like béchamel and were created by Swiss migrants to Mexico who set up dairies to produce milk and cream. Enchiladas Verdes are topped with salsa verde instead of chilli sauce and are filled with poached chicken. Enmoladas are served with mole (a dark spicy sauce) instead of chilli and Enfrijoladas are topped with re-fried beans (the name deriving from the Spanish word for bean ‘frijol’).

The recipes I give below are very simple to make and are easily adaptable. I have found that using large tortillas means one enchilada can be served per person – especially if you serve them with sour cream and other toppings. I am very partial to coriander however, for those of you who do not like it, removing this does not detract from the recipe at all. Both fillings make a decent number of enchiladas and obviously, you can bulk them out more by adding more vegetables to make the meat go further. If you don’t eat meat, it can be excluded from the recipe or replaced by a meat substitute such as tofu or Quorn.

As anyone following this blog for some time may have realised, I love bulk cooking and the fillings for this can be frozen which is ideal because you can get several meals out of these recipes. You can also use them as standard fajita fillings too if you don’t want to go through the hassle of adding extra sauce and baking.

I hope you enjoy the recipe!

 

Enchiladas

Makes: 6-9 enchiladas

Prep time: 30 mins

Rest time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

 

 

Chicken Filling

2 large onions – finely sliced

2 large cloves of garlic – minced

1 large bell pepper – thinly sliced

2 chicken breasts – cubed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 packet fajita seasoning

½ tsp chilli flakes

2 tbsp oil

 

Beef Filling

2 large onions – finely diced

2 large cloves of garlic – minced

1 packet of beef mince

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 packet fajita seasoning

½ tsp chilli flakes

2 tbsp oil

 

Extras

Large tortilla wraps

1 can re-fried beans

200g grated cheese (100g for filling and 100g for topping)

2 tbsp chopped coriander

 

1 jar enchilada sauce

OR

4 tbsp tomato paste

4 tbsp water

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

1 tsp vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

Pinch of sugar

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

 

For the filling:

Place the oil, onions and garlic into a large pan over a medium heat and fry until the onion starts going soft.

Make a well in the centre and add the meat and fry until the meat is cooked on the outside (about three minutes)

Add the peppers if you are using them.

Sprinkle on the chilli flakes and the fajita seasoning (I love the BBQ one but there are loads of different flavours you can choose). If you like your food on the spicier side, you can always add more chilli and visa versa for a more mild flavour.

Add the tomato paste and stir through. If the paste won’t spread out, add a tablespoon of water to help thin it down a little.

Remove from the heat and leave the filling to cool a little before using (it doesn’t have to be stone cold, just make sure it won’t burn your fingers)

 

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 (200⁰C).

If you are making your own enchilada sauce, whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

Take a large baking dish and spread a little of the enchilada sauce over the bottom.

Place a wrap on a flat surface and spread a line of re-fried beans about a quarter of the way up.

Add a line of meat filling on top of this and sprinkle a little grated cheese over it all.

Roll up the tortilla making sure to fold in the ends to stop the filling from escaping. Seal the end with a little water and place seam side down in the baking dish.

Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.

Pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese over the enchiladas.

Sprinkle the coriander over the top and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes until the cheese on top is bubbly and starting to crisp up.

 

Serve with a selection of sour cream, lime wedges, jalapenos, chopped coriander, guacamole or salsa.

These also keep very well if covered in the fridge.

I hope you enjoyed the recipe. If you fancy something a little sweeter, check out how to make my delicious apple crumble or for a lighter meal, why not make yourself a vibrant bowl of pea soup.

Have a good one and I will be back next week with an amazing recipe for carrot cake. For all of you guys who have had issues making cream cheese icing in the UK because it always turns to soup, this is one not to be missed!

H