Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

 

A pan of this and The Walking Dead queued up on the box = Life. Made.


Beef and Cheese Enchiladas
adapted from here
Serves 6

For the Enchilada Sauce: 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Ancho powder (or your favourite chilli powder)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 smoked paprika
400ml tomato passata
1/4 cup pickled jalapenos (I used red), chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups hot beef stock
1 tablespoon chipotle sauce (I use Alana's Pantry Spicy Mexico)

For the Filling:
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
500g ground beef
1 cup pickled peppers (I use Greek peperoni peppers) chopped
Pinch of salt
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup black olives, pitted
1 cup spring onions, finely sliced
1/2 cup chopped coriander

For the Tortillas:
20 small enchilada tortillas (or use yellow corn tortillas)
1/2 cup sunflower oil

Make the Sauce:
Put the oil in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat and add the flour and cook, whisking, for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the chilli powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika and cook for a further minute, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the hot stock. Add the tomato passata and the jalapenos and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly until thickened. Set aside.

Make the Filling:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and salt and cook on medium heat until softened. Increase the heat to high and add the beef. Cook until the beef is brown all over and the juices in the pan have evaporated. Add the peppers, stir, remove from the heat and set aside.

Fry the Tortillas:
Pour the oil into a small pan and heat on medium-high heat until the surface begins to shimmer. Fry the tortillas one at a time  for about 20 - 30 seconds on each side. Don't fry them for too long or they will go crispy and will be hard to fold. Lay them on some kitchen towel to catch any excess oil.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large baking pan and spread to cover the base.

Dip a tortilla into the sauce in the pan and lay it on a plate. Spoon a tablespoon of the meat mixture, followed by a few slices of olives, a sprinkling of spring onions, a little cheese (reserving about a cup for sprinkling on top) and some coriander into the centre. Roll it up so that the filling is completely covered and lay it, seam-side down, in the baking pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle over any remaining spring onion or olives. Finish with the reserved cheese and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes until it's piping hot and golden and melting. Sprinkle with chopped coriander before serving.