Official New Mexico question: Red or Green? The difference is just the amount of time they're left on the vine. Green is an under ripe red chile. Or red is an over ripe green chile. And they taste different as well. I prefer red chile, but if it's chile, I'm in.
I believe the way we make red enchiladas in Las Cruces is unique to Las Cruces. They don't have them our way in northern NM or in CA. My daughter has lived in more places than I, and she has never seen them the way they're made here. About ten people came from San Antonio to work with us on the Dean campaign (not much going on in TX). I brought them enchiladas for dinner, and they were amazed, and delighted. Red enchiladas are not only very tasty, but also very easy to make. Let me show you how.
This is what you'll need:
Put about a tablespoon of canola oil (vegetable oil) in a pan on medium low heat. Pour about two tablespoons of red chile powder on top of the oil.
Using a soft spatula, press the chile powder into the oil, lifting and pressing until it's a paste consistency.
Add enough water to create a sauce that's approximately like a hearty pea soup or a little thinner. Add salt and garlic powder to taste.
Now you're ready to start assembling. In a separate pan, lightly fry a corn tortilla. You don't want it to be crisp. With tongs, move the tortilla to the pan with the sauce. Cover the tortilla completely with the sauce. You may have to turn it over to assure coverage. Move the tortilla to a plate. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Don't be too generous, as you'll be adding more cheese. Repeat the process of frying and applying sauce, and place the second tortilla on top of the first, pancake style. Sprinkle more cheese. Repeat one more time, unless you're really hungry. Three tortillas is traditional. Four is acceptable. Pour some sauce on top of the finished stack. The stack will look like this:
And then you add the finishing touch. You can fry the egg in the same pan you used for the tortillas.
Easy and yummy! If you've ever seen enchiladas like this in any place besides Las Cruces, I don't want to know. I'd like to continue to believe we're uniquely special.
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