New Mexicans love chile. Hot, spicy, make you sweat, chile. The state question is officially: red or green? The green chile is usually roasted, peeled, and added to dishes. The red chile is the green pod dried out and ground up into a powder which is used to make a red chile sauce. Enchiladas are a favorite in the southwest. You can put anything you want inside the enchilada but I like them with squash.
Squash Enchiladas
3T butter
3T flour
1.5oz red chile powder
1/2t salt
3c broth (vegetable, chicken, or beef)
1T avocado oil
1/2 white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 zucchini, 1/2″ pieces
1 yellow squash, 1/2″ pieces
1/2t salt
1/2t pepper
16 small corn tortilla
2c mozzarella
Preheat oven to 350.
Red Chile Sauce
In a saucepan, melt butter and add flour to make a rough.
Add chile powder and stir to combine, cooking for about 30 seconds.
Add broth a little at a time to start, whisking to incorporate.
When all the broth is added the sauce should be smooth.
Stir in salt and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10-14 minutes.
The sauce will thicken, stir occasionally.
Squash Filling
Heat a large frying pan (that has a lid) over high heat, when pan is hot add oil and lower heat to medium.
Sauté onion for 2-3 minutes, then add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes more, stirring often.
When onions are clear, mix in squash, salt, and pepper, and cover. Sauté for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the squash starts to change color is when I take it off the heat. I like my vegetables to not be squishy in enchiladas. If you like your squash squishy, cook it for another 2-3 minutes.
Assemble Your Enchiladas
In an 8×8 pan, ladle a little red chile sauce on the bottom and spread around.
Using 4 corn tortillas cover the bottom. I cut two in half along opposite edges and two whole in the middle. Rotating the next layer to place cut tortillas on the opposite side.
Layer tortilla, squash, cheese, red chile. Repeat layers 3 more times (using 16 tortillas total).
The top layer use up the rest of the chile and cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350. Then uncover and bake for 5 minutes more to melt cheese on top.
Please note this recipe was developed at high altitude, your baking time may vary.
Let cool 5-8 minutes then serve.
Can be topped with: shredded lettuce, tomato, black olives, green onions, avocado, sour cream. Sometimes chile can be spicy, adding avocado or sour cream will help tone down the spicy level.
As pictured: served New Mexican style with black beans and fried potatoes.
Bonus recipe: Black Beans and Fried Potatoes
Don’t bother cleaning your pans, use the leftovers from enchilada prep to flavor the rest of your meal.
1 can black beans
1T avocado oil
2 lrg potatoes, cubed
1t salt
1/2t pepper
1/2c water
Add black beans to the red chile saucepan, heating them over low heat. The leftover chile in the pan flavors the beans nicely.
Heat the squash pan again then add oil. Lower to medium heat adding potato, salt, and pepper and stir well.
Add water and cover. Leave alone for 8-10 minutes then stir. Cover again, and let cook for another 8-10 minutes.
By this time the water should be gone and the potatoes will start crisping. Remove lid and continue cooking to your desired crispy level.
