Being a Daring Cook

So, my daughter-in-law, M, has this food blog. She posts recipes and ideas a couple of times a week including hits, suggestions and photos of what she's made. I really enjoy reading it and it inspires me to pull out some new recipes and maybe not just have the same old thing over and over. Keep in mind that I love to cook and really enjoy new recipes. In the sidebar of her blog was this cute little button that said "The Daring Kitchen" so I clicked on it and was whisked away to a wonderful world of cooks and bakers that post a challenge monthly. Typically, it features a technique or an ingredient a lot of us would be unfamiliar with. I joined and got a little scared, but then, they posted the May challenge.

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

Having lived in New Mexico and learning to roast and can my own green chiles was quite a boon for this meal. The sauce had to be made from scratch and featured roasted green chiles and tomatillos. Oh my goodness, it was delicious!

Here is the sauce recipe:

1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chiles (about eight 6 to 8 inch chiles) 24 ounces 678 grams - roast, peel, remove seeds, chop coarsely. Other green chiles (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size!)
7-8 ounces Tomatillos (about 4-5 medium)212 grams - peel, remove stems
4 cups Chicken broth (32 ounces/920 grams)
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ tsp Kosher salt (add more to taste)
¼ tsp Black Pepper (add more to taste)
2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)

Green Chile Sauce

1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft.
2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor.
3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped roasted green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes.
6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

I saved a little of the sauce out so I can fix Huevos Rancheros for C, now that she's home from school. It's one of her favorite meals.

I had the option of baking the stacked enchiladas in one big dish or in smaller dishes, but I chose the big dish. Here's a photo:

I know it doesn't look like much, but it sure was tasty!

I'm really glad I joined in the fun and I'm looking forward to next month's challenge and also that of the Daring Bakers.

Peace,

Deb