The Mexican Slow Cooker: Recipes for Mole, Enchiladas, Carnitas, Chile Verde Pork, and More Favorites (15 page)

Tender chicken and melted cheese under a green tomatillo salsa create a very rich and subtle dish, a Mexican classic. Creamy and almost too soft to grate, Chihuahua cheese (also known as
menonita
) melts beautifully at low temperatures. Monterey jack, mild Gouda, or Muenster will also work if you can’t find the Mexican import. For the most exquisite results, assemble the enchiladas with warm ingredients, bake briefly, and serve immediately.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a bowl, stir together the chicken and 1 cup of the cheese.

Pour ⅛ inch of oil in a small frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Fry the tortillas, turning once, until they start to brown around the edges but are still flexible, adding oil to the pan as needed between batches. Fill each tortilla with about ¼ cup of the chicken and cheese mixture and roll up. Arrange the enchiladas in a single layer in a baking dish.

Scatter the remaining ½ cup cheese over the enchiladas and bake until hot, about 10 minutes. Top with the warmed salsa.

To serve, dust with a little cotija cheese and drizzle with the
crema.

Makes 2 cups

Combine the tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, and garlic in a small saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer until the tomatillos are soft but not falling apart, about 15 minutes.

Drain the vegetables and transfer to a blender. Puree until smooth, add the salt and cilantro, and pulse several times. If the sauce seems too thick, thin with a little water.

Enchiladas are one of the simplest Mexican dishes: the name simply means “in chile.” (Similarly,
entomatadas
are dipped in tomato sauce,
enfrijoladas
in pureed beans, and
enmoladas
in mole sauce.) Like so many simple dishes, they are best freshly made and quickly consumed. These enchiladas are hearty and satisfying, so don’t overload them. Have everything ready and hot before you start assembling the enchiladas. Serve them as they do in Mexico, fresh from the sauce, with a sprinkle of grated cheese, some shredded lettuce and onions, and a dab of
crema.

Pour ⅛ inch of oil in a small frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the tortillas, turning once, until they start to brown around the edges but are still flexible, adding oil to the pan as needed between batches. Allow the oil to drip off and immediately dip the tortilla into the hot Salsa Roja. Fill each tortilla with about ¼ cup of the hot beef, roll up, and serve immediately, sprinkled with a little cheese and topped with a dab of
crema
, shredded lettuce, and some onion.

Makes 3 cups

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add a few chiles and toast on both sides, turning occasionally and pressing down with a spatula, until they soften and blister. Remove from the pan. When the chiles are cool enough to handle, tear them into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Add the hot water and soak the chiles, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1½ cups of the soaking liquid.

In a blender, combine the chiles and the reserved soaking liquid and puree for several minutes, or until perfectly smooth, scraping down the sides several times.

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin, peppercorns, and oregano until fragrant, stirring frequently so they don’t burn. Let cool completely and grind in a spice grinder.

Heat the oil in the large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ground spices and cook, stirring, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chile puree and cook, stirring, until the salsa thickens and sizzles in the pan, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the salt and water, stir thoroughly, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water, if necessary, until the salsa is just thick enough to cling to a spoon.

Before serving, taste and adjust the seasoning.

In Mexican cooking, if you use a different sauce the name of the dish changes. In this recipe, instead of using a sauce made with
chiles
(which would give us en
chil
adas), I dip the tortillas in a sumptuous
mole,
which gives us en
mol
adas.
Enmoladas
are a good reason to make extra mole and a wonderful way to use up leftovers. Enmoladas are usually folded in half, rather than rolled.

If you haven’t already done so, remove the skin and bones from the chicken in the mole and discard. Shred the meat into small pieces. In a bowl, stir together the chicken and enough mole sauce to moisten the meat (about 2 cups), keeping the rest of the sauce separate. Keep warm.

Pour ⅛ inch of oil in a small frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Fry the tortillas, turning once, until they start to brown around the edges but are still flexible. Dip each tortilla in the hot mole sauce, fill with chicken and a bit of cheese, and fold in half.

To serve, top each
enmolada
with a spoonful of mole sauce, a teaspoon of
crema,
some sesame seeds, and a few pieces of diced onion. Serve immediately.

I love burritos and
tortas
served
ahogados,
“drowned” in a red chile sauce that is sometimes eye-wateringly spicy. These delicious burritos combine shredded chicken with rice, avocado, and lettuce, so eat it quickly before the lettuce loses its crunch. These burritos can be made with any smooth salsa, such as
Salsa Roja
,
Salsa Verde
, or even
Roasted Tomato Salsa
. Since the rice is already inside, you can serve it with just beans—
Frijoles Negros
are especially good.

Heat a large, heavy skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. One at a time, heat the tortillas in the skillet, turning once and pressing down with a spatula, until warm and lightly toasted on both sides.

Lay a tortilla on a plate and spoon ½ cup of the rice in the center, leaving 2 inches uncovered on each side and 3 inches uncovered on the top and bottom. Top with ½ cup of the chicken, ¼ cup of the Roasted Tomato Salsa, and 2 tablespoons of the onion and cilantro mixture. Arrange a sixth of the avocado slices down the center and add a sixth of the lettuce. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cotija.