The Enchilada Lab

Enchiladas are the perfect baby food.  Not food for babies, but food for people with newborn babies.  They need food brought to them in mass quantities.  There are only a few things you can make that take residence in one rectangular Pyrex dish but still results in 5 meals. 

But it is a skill.  It's a labor.  You must have the right set-up, the right equipment, the right formula, and most importantly, time every sequence out.  Most importantly, you have to know how to multi task. 

Now from experience, I can tell you that most Indian women can handle Enchiladas.  With a veland (Indian rolling pin) in our hand before we were potty trained, we have mastered multi-tasking parathas (leavened flatbread) by age 14.   Mom would make the dough and roll them at lightening speed while I would cook each side on a skillet  and then transfer them to a plate and lightly brush them with oil.  And by the time you were done brushing the last one, the next one was already in the skillet ready to be turned.  You had to move fast before mom's veland would make contact with daughter's bum.  Well, not really, but you would get an earful about how you don't pay attention and then that discussion grows into your other flaws like how you don't listen or you never do your homework on time or you aren't cleaning your room regularly. Additionally, you get to hear any other complaint that was ever filed against you by any other family member ever.  Ugghhhh.  I'd rather choose the veland, but most mothers usually choose to inflict the hurricane vs the tornado.  Better long term results I think, which is exactly how the joy of parathas has led me a clean and direct path to Enchilada-hood. 

So for your new-parent friends, you're going to make them enchiladas.  It's not hard, but a very timed, methodical process.  Think Meth Lab.  Raised by an Indian stay-at-home mom and an Indian Chemical Engineer dad, it is no wonder that I have mastered The Enchilada Meth Lab.  Can you handle it? (the enchiladas, I mean, not the meth. Obviously you can handle the meth.) 

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Sauteed Kale or Spinach, Boiled Potato & Sweet Potato, Sauteed yellow onion, minced Chipotle Peppers in adobo sauce, salt & pepper

 

 

 

What new parent doesn't want some of this at 1am, 3am, and 5am?

When you deliver the product, make sure they hand over the baby first.

Sweet Potato and Kale Enchiladas

recipe by rabbitfoodrocks

This can be made with a combination of spinach and kale or just spinach.  You can have sweet potato, or regular potato or a mix.  I've made this about 5 different ways and they are all yummy!

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed (approx 1.25 cups mashed)
1 Yukon gold or yellow potato, cooked and mashed (approx 1 cup mashed)
1 bunch kale, chopped and sauteed OR 1 block defrosted frozen spinach
2 or 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (3 for more heat, 2 for less heat)
1 cup diced yellow onion, sauteed
1.5 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
20 to 30 corn tortillas (depends on diameter and thickness)
8 ounces shredded cheese (Monterrey jack or "Mexican cheese blend")
3 Tablespoons oil
4 10-ounce cans of red Enchilada sauce

Directions:
1. Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.  Taste for seasoning.  (The advantage of tasting a vegetarian filling before it's cooked is that you (a) won't die from it. and (b) get a chance to adjust it before cooking)
2. Prepare your "Enchilada Lab" as the diagram shows.
3. Brush tortilla with oil and place in heated skillet (oil side down) and then while it's warming, brush the top side with oil.  Then flip over to heat the other side.  (This entire step is to prevent the dooming "soggy enchilada" condition.
4.  Using a spatula, transfer the tortilla to a cutting board or large workspace.  Start heating the next tortilla (both sides brushed with oil again).  Add filling to previous pan-fried tortilla (see detail A).
5.  Add cheese as shown and then starting with filled side, roll tightly (like a yoga mat) toward the empty side.
6. Place in a lightly greased rectangular Pyrex dish.
7. Drown enchiladas in enchilada sauce.  Yes drown them.  Minimum of 2 cans. Top with cheese and black olives if desired.
8.  Bake at 350, covered, for 30 mins.