Maya and I had our third cooking whirlwind last week – so fun! Besides making the requisite Rice Nut Burgers, we (Maya) made two casseroles of Chicken and Black Bean Enchilades. They turned out very delicious by all accounts.
Maya cooked the black beans from scratch. She just put them in a pot with water and let them boil until they were soft. Me, I never make beans, so I was perhaps overly fascinated by the process.
The chicken was from “scratch” too. I had roasted a chicken (and fed 6 adults!) the previous night. I pulled the rest of the meat off, and May brought along several cooked chicken breasts (cooked in the solar oven). The beans and chicken got mixed together at some point.
To make the enchilada sauce, Maya pureed one large can of Muir Glen tomatoes with one jar of salsa in the blender. Then she added the mixture to a pan of sauteed onions. She also added one whole beer and some spices (cumin and cinnamon). Everything simmered slowly.
To make the enchilades, Maya covered the bottom of the casserole with the sauce. Then she wet a corn tortilla down in the sauce, put some stuff in, and rolled it up. Easy! (Especially when you’re just watching.)
Finally the whole thing was smothered in grated Jack cheese. Oh dear, I am making myself hungry. (Good thing I don’t write about sex too much ; )
And if I were any kind of food photographer at all I would have a gorgeous photo of the end result, but I don’t. In fact, I have a lot more respect for food photographers these days; all my photos of food look a little gross to me… But believe me, these enchilades are well worth making. And if you come and visit maybe I’ll make them for you.