Recipe - James Peytons Enchiladas En Salsa Chipotle

SALSA CHIPOTLE
3 Canned chipotle chiles;
reserve adobo sauce (up to
6)
3 Cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Oregano
4 tablespoon Butter
4 tablespoon Flour
1 cup Beef broth
2 One half cup Water
6 tablespoon Reserved adobo sauce

ENCHILADAS
Cooking oil
12 Corn tortillas
One half pound Mild cheddar cheese, grated
One half pound Cooked chicken, shredded
One half md Onion, minced
Salsa chipotle (see recipe,
above)

I found this recipe today at an interesting page called www.ranch aka Texas
Monthly Magazine http://www.texasmonthly.com/food/

The cooking of Northern Mexico got its spark from ranching culture, in
which food was prepared with indigenous ingredients and cooked over a wood
fire; it has long been overshadowed by the more glamorous and complex
cuisine of the South. But former restaurateur James W. Peyton of San
Antonio redresses the imbalance in his just published cookbook, El Norte:
The Cuisine of Northern Mexico (Red Crane Books, $14.95). This version of
his chipotle enchilada recipe vividly captures the fervent flavors of a
region settled by frontiersmen and worked by vaqueros who improvised meals
with what was on hand. A need for inventiveness is something that even
modern Texas cooks can identify with.

Salsa chipotle: Rinse, seed, and chop chiles; use more chiles for hotter
salsa. In molcajete or with mortar and pestle, grind garlic, cumin, and
oregano.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour, and cook over low
to medium heat until it begins to brown and give off a nutty fragrance.
Remove from heat, and add broth a little at a time, stirring well after
each addition. Return to heat, and add water in a slow stream, stirring
constantly. Add chiles, adobo sauce, and garlic mixture, and bring to a
boil. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered, stirring often until sauce
thickens, about 30 minutes.

Enchiladas: Heat about One half inch cooking oil in small skillet just until it
begins to smoke. Using kitchen tongs, immerse each tortilla in oil for a
few seconds, until it becomes soft and pliable. Remove, and drain on paper
towels.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place about a tablespoon each of cheese and
chicken and a sprinkling of onion on each tortilla, and roll into a
cylinder. Place 3 enchiladas on each of 4 ovenproof dinner plates. Pour
One fourth salsa chipotle over each serving on enchiladas, then sprinkle with
remaining cheese and onion. Set plates in oven, and heat until cheese melts
and sauce bubbles, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve with rice and refried beans or with thin charbroiled tenderloin
steak. Serves 4. Posted to CHILEHEADS DIGEST V3 #363 by Judy Howle
howle@ebicom.net on Jun 21, 1995