foodlove

chicken picadillo enchiladas

this is a modified version of a bon appetit recipe from august 2007.

wrap 4 boneless chicken breasts in foil (no seasoning) and bake at 400 degrees for 40 or so minutes.  leave in the foil until needed.

heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  add a large chopped onion and a head of chopped garlic.  saute about 4 minutes, until the onion is tender.  stir in a tablespoon of chili powder.  add a big can crushed tomatoes, a tin of chipotles in adobo sauce, and 1/4 cup olive juice (yes, the brine from the jarred olives).  simmer for ten minutes or so.  season with pepper.

dice the chicken.  mix with 1/2 cup raisins (yes, raisins, stop complaining and just trust me), and 1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives.  mix in 3 cups sauce.

spread a veil of sauce over the bottom of a shallow casserole.  heat 6"corn tortillas and prepare by smearing each tortilla with a tablespoon of fat free sour cream and loading with 1/3 cup filling, then rolling and placing seam side down in the casserole.  repeat until you've used all the filling (about 10-15 enchiladas).

pour remaining sauce over.  my sons like to sprinkle a generous handful of jack cheese over the sauce.

bake for 20-25 minutes.

top with sour cream, cilantro, and scallions.

serves oh, three teenagers or 10-15 regular people.  i serve it with a chopped salad (lettuce, cilantro, avocado, red onion, lime) and tecate.

cooked vera cruz sauce for tamales

i've tweaked zarela martinez' wonderful recipe for salsa a la veracruzana, from her book zarela's veracruz.  i had to make it last night after kat and i found wonderful tamales at a market in pontiac.

heat a few tablespoons olive oil until it shakes.  add a handful of whole garlic cloves and cook them for a few minutes, until golden but not brown.  remove them (when they're cool, they're awesome as munchfood while you sip some patron).

add a handful of minced garlic and a chopped white onion.  cook until the onion is translucent.  stir in 4 or 5 large ripe tomatoes.  if it's not summer, use a 28 ounce can san marzanos.  reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

then add:
3 pickled jalapenos
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
a dozen or so big green olives stuffed with chiles (not pimientos)
several sprigs each fresh thyme and oregano
1/4 teaspoons cinnamon or, if you have it, canela
1/2 cup dry white wine

stir well and cook, covered, for another 20 minutes.  taste for salt, but it should be fine.

this will be wildly spicy, so be sure your tamales are sweeeeet corn.

i served this sauce with sweet tamales, chorizo, queso fresca, and sliced avocados with a squeeze of lime. 

add jasmine rice, a light salad or pickled vegetables, and  uniced water alongside your tequila.