Chef John Ross shared a pair of enchilada recipes in his North Fork Chef column in Thursday’s issue of The Suffolk Times. Read the full column tomorrow and check out his shrimop enchilada recipe. In the meantime, we figured we’d share with you his column for Southwestern Enchiladas with Chicken.
Enjoy!
Southwestern Enchiladas
with Chicken
Filling: Trim the stem end off 1 large eggplant and slice lengthwise into half-inch slices. Place them on a rack over a sheet pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coarse salt. Let rest 30 minutes and rinse under cold water before drying with paper towels.
Meanwhile, line a small sheet pan with foil and spray with no-stick. Place 2 whole red bell peppers, 1 Anaheim chile,1 poblano pepper and 5 whole plum tomatoes on the pan and roast them under the broiler setting on your oven. Turn them as they cook so the peppers are blackened and the tomato skins are blistered. Remove the peppers and wrap them loosely in foil and set the tomatoes aside.
When the peppers have cooled, scrape the black skin off, cut them open and remove the stem and seeds. Cut the peppers into 2-inch squares and peel and chop the tomatoes. Place them in separate bowls.
Brush 1 pound of chicken cutlets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cutlets on a sheet pan under the broiler. Broil until fully cooked, about 10 minutes, and remove. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with no-stick. Place the sliced eggplant on the pan along with 2 sliced zucchinis and 1 sliced yellow squash. Brush these lightly with olive oil and broil for 5 minutes. Remove and cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Sauce: Make the enchilada sauce by heating a sauté pan and adding 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté 1 chopped onion, 1 minced jalapeño pepper (no seeds) and 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Add the chopped roasted tomatoes from above. Stir in 1/4 cup catsup, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 cup chicken broth. Let this mixture simmer for 30 minutes and put it into a food processor to purée. Add 3 jarred chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and half of the roasted peppers and chiles from above, along with the juice and zest from 1 lime. Purée the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
Tortillas: Brush 12 corn tortillas with olive oil and place them on a foil-lined sheet pan. Bake at 400 degrees until the tortillas are soft, about 3 minutes. Remove and stack on a plate.
Assemble: Toss the chicken pieces with 1 cup of the enchilada sauce and set aside. Dredge 6 corn tortillas through the enchilada sauce and place on a foil-lined sheet pan. Sprinkle the vegetables on the tortilla and then the chicken. Place the other tortillas on top and spoon the rest of the sauce over them. Cover loosely with foil. Just before service, heat for 10 minutes in the 400-degree oven. Garnish with slices of avocado, chopped cilantro and chopped red onion. Add some chunks of goat cheese if desired.
Serves 6.
