Hatch Green Chile Enchiladas Food

HATCH GREEN CHILE ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Start by giving the Hatch chiles a good rinse. Roast the chiles in a 400F oven for 20-30 minutes.
• To poach the chicken, cover the chicken breast with cold water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Once cooked, set aside to cool and then shred using two forks. You can optionally add a half onion, cilantro sprigs and a pinch of salt to the poaching liquid for additional flavor.
• Once roasted and cooled off a bit, de-stem and de-seed the chiles. You can also pull off and discard any loose bits of skin from the chiles. Add the roasted chile pieces to a blender along with a splash of water or stock and combine well.
• Finely dice the 1/2 onion, reserving a few tablespoons of the chopped onion for the insides of the enchiladas. Saute the majority of the chopped onion in some oil over medium heat. Once it has softened add a minced garlic clove and cook for an additional minute or so. Add the chiles from the blender along with: 1 cup stock, 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, a pinch of cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper.
• Bring the sauce to a simmer and take a taste for seasoning. I added another generous pinch of salt to this batch but it will depend on which stock you're using. You can always adjust the consistency of the sauce by adding more stock to thin it out, or by letting it simmer for a bit to thicken it up.
• Heat the corn tortillas in the oven for a few minutes. (Or nuke them in some damp paper towels for 60 seconds.) Prepare the baking dish by adding a bottom layer of the Hatch sauce to prevent sticking.
• On a plate, add a couple spoonfuls of the Hatch sauce. Dredge a tortilla in the sauce, flip, and then fill with shredded chicken, onion, and plenty of shredded cheese. Roll tight and place seam side down on the baking dish. Keep going until the chicken is gone. Add the remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas along with a final layer of cheese. I usually give the enchiladas a jiggle so that you get plenty of sauce between them.
• Bake for 10 minutes in a 400F oven or until the cheese is completely melted. Serve immediately. Optional garnishes include freshly chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a drizzle of Crema.

HATCH GREEN CHILE ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• For the sauce: rinse the tomatillos and cut them in half. Place them cut-side down on a foil lined baking sheet along with the garlic and jalapeños. Broil on the top rack on the oven for 5 to 10 minutes until the tomatillos are lightly charred.
• Meanwhile, roast the chiles directly over the flame of a gas burner (or broil the chiles on a foil lined baking sheet), turning until the skins are evenly blackened. Place the blackened chiles in a bowl and cover with a plate to steam for about for 5 minutes, then peel off and discard the blackened skins.
• Remove the baking sheet with the tomatillos from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Remove the skins from the garlic and discard. Remove and discard the seeds and the stems from the jalapeño and the hatch chiles.
• Place tomatillos, garlic, jalapeño, Hatch Chiles, cilantro, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a blender and pulse until puréed. Set aside.
• For the filling: heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook until starting to soften, about five minutes. Add remaining tablespoon oil and add onions and Hatch chiles. Cook for another five minutes. Add zucchini, corn, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and transfer vegetables to a medium sized bowl.
• Assemble and bake the enchiladas: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread a thin layer of tomatillo sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 casserole pan.
• Wipe the same skillet used to cook the vegetables clean. Add enough vegetable oil to cover the surface of the pan and heat on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add one tortilla to the pan. Cook just until tortilla is warm and pliable, then remove with tongs, gently shaking off any excess oil. Place on a paper towel lined plate.
• Place about 1 tablespoon of Monterey Jack cheese along the center of the tortilla. Cover with about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable filling. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down on the casserole dish.
• Proceed cooking and filling the remaining tortillas this way, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Make sure to reserve about 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese for the top of the enchiladas. Place each rolled tortilla side by side in the casserole dish and spread the remaining tomatillo sauce on top.
• Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with queso fresco and cilantro leaves just before serving.

GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE WITH HATCH, NEW MEXICO CHILI

Steps:

• Roast and peel the chilies, reserving the peels, stems and seeds. I like to use a food mill for this. After pealing the chilies, chop them up and add to the food mill with a medium plate. Reserve the seeds.
• Add the reserved seeds, stems and peels to the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for ~ 20 minutes to infuse with the chili flavor and heat. Strain out the seeds and stems.
• Chop the onion and garlic and sweat (add 1 tsp salt here) over medium heat for ~10 minutes, until soft. Pulse the onions in a blender a couple of times (or use the food mill if you have it out already) until slightly smooth but still a little chunky.
• If you are doing the chopped tomatoes yourself, blanch the tomatoes for a couple of minutes in boiling water, transfer to ice water bath, peel and chop (or use the food mill again).
• In a saucepan, heat the oil, add the flour and stir for a minute or so to form a roux. The roux should get to a golden brown. Add the stock to the pan and whisk to prevent any clumps of flour. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid has reduced by half, about 30 minutes or so. Taste halfway through and add salt to taste.
• It's ready to serve, but I like to let it cool and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. This allows the flavors to come together.

ROASTED GREEN CHILE-CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Make the salsa: Put the tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion in a saucepan with the vinegar and water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and poach until the tomatillos are soft, about 10 minutes. Drain. Put the vegetables in a blender, add the cumin, and puree. Add the cilantro, lime juice, and salt, and pulse to combine. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, place the poblano peppers directly over the flame on a gas stove and cook, turning with tongs, until the skin is charred and blackened. (Or, if you have an electric stove, put the chiles on a baking sheet and broil, turning with tongs, until the skin is blackened.) Skin the peppers; then seed, core, and dice them.
• Heat a 2-count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the cumin and cook 1 minute. Then sprinkle on the flour and cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer, stirring to make sure the flour doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan; the liquid will thicken. Fold in the chicken, diced peppers, and cilantro, and season well with salt and pepper.
• To assemble the dish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Get your self a large baking dish. Dip a tortilla into the tomatilla salsa and put it on a cutting board. Put a big scoop of the chicken mixture in the center, sprinkle with a little of the cheese, and roll the tortilla like a cigar to enclose the filling. Use a spatula to place it seam side down in the baking dish. Continue to fill all of the tortillas and put them in the baking dish. Pour the remaining tomatilla salsa over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Serve hot with the guacamole and sour cream.
• Halve and pit the avocados. Scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados with a fork, leaving them somewhat chunky. Add the remaining ingredients, and fold everything together to gently mix. Lay a piece of plastic wrap right on the surface of the guacamole so it doesn't brown and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.