Enchiladas Verdes

For a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the Spanish branch this year, everyone was to bring enchiladas "your way" for a little contest. The recipe that won first prize was so delicious I was determined to figure out how to make them. I finally got my chance in October when the Ramirez's invited us over for dinner so I could learn firsthand. My notes are below. I'm sorry the measurements are not exact; recipes like this usually drive me crazy, but it will just depend on how many you are feeding. And may I suggest not leaving out the radishes? They add the perfect cool crunch on top of the spicy sauce. Delicious!

Enchiladas Verdes
From the kitchen of Rosie Ramirez

Corn Tortillas (Mission white corn tortillas)
Chicken Breasts
Tomatillo Sauce (See instructions below)

Toppings:
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Chopped radishes
Diced avocados
Queso Fresco
Sour Cream

Boil chicken breasts in a large stockpot with a quartered onion, some marjoram, and cumin. (I have also just used a fajita seasoning mix instead.) Reserve the water after chicken is cooked and shred the chicken onto a large plate.

For the tomatillo sauce, you will need 5-10 tomatillos, husked and rinsed and 2-8 serrano chiles, depending on the heat you desire. (Or you could use jalapenos. Really she said she uses any green chile she has on hand.)

Quarter the tomatillos and trim and halve the chiles. Remove some of the pepper seeds for less heat, if desired. Saute in canola or grapeseed oil in a large pan for several minutes, until softened but not mushy. Place the tomatillos and peppers in a blender with some of the reserved water; blend well. Add more reserved water if needed until you get a nice consistency for an enchilada sauce. Pour into a saucepan and let simmer on medium heat for 5-10 minutes; reduce heat to low to keep warm until everything else is ready.

When all of your toppings are ready, fry the tortillas in a bit of oil for just a few minutes each. As they come off the pan or griddle, dip them in the tomatillo sauce and stack or layer them on the plates--two or three tortillas is a good start for an adult. Add some shredded chicken and then let people add the rest of their own toppings.

Another option, especially for a large group or for children, is to just fry up all the tortillas and then let people fix their plates more like tacos, using the sauce on top. (This is how they were served at the enchilada contest.)

No baking required! Let me know if you try it out!