Soft Fried Tortillas With Tomatillo Salsa And Chicken Recipes

SOFT FRIED TORTILLAS WITH TOMATILLO SALSA AND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make salsa:
• Purée tomatillos, chiles, onion, garlic, salt, and water in a blender until smooth.
• Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then carefully add tomatillo purée (oil will splatter) and simmer, stirring, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and simmer 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl.
• Make chalupas:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in cleaned dried skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then briefly cook tortillas, 3 at a time, until softened and hot but still pale, about 10 seconds per side, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer tortillas with tongs to paper towels to drain briefly, then to a large shallow baking pan in oven to keep warm, arranging tortillas in one layer (overlapping slightly if necessary) and covering pan with foil.
• Spread each warm tortilla with about 1 teaspoon salsa, then top sparingly with a few shreds of chicken. Thin crema with a little water and drizzle over chicken, then sprinkle with onion and cheese. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH ROASTED TOMATILLO CHILE SALSA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the salsa:
• On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.
• For the enchiladas:
• Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large flameproof baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Now take the flour tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. Using a spatula place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish, cilantro and tomato.
• Serve hot with Spicy Black Beans and Yellow Rice, the remaining tomatillo salsa, sour cream and fresh guacamole, if desired.
• In a large pot, soak beans overnight covered in water by 2 inches. Drain and set aside.
• In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and bay leaf and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and cover with water by about 1-inch. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Taste the beans and season with salt and pepper.
• Put all the ingredients into a heavy-bottomed pot, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat until the rice has absorbed the water, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and bay leaf, fluff with a fork, and serve.

SOFT FRIED TORTILLAS WITH TOMATILLO SALSA AND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make salsa:.
• Purée tomatillos, chiles, onion, garlic, salt, and water in a blender until smooth.
• Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then carefully add tomatillo purée (oil will splatter) and simmer, stirring, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and simmer 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl.
• Make chalupas:.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in cleaned dried skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then briefly cook tortillas, 3 at a time, until softened and hot but still pale, about 10 seconds per side, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer tortillas with tongs to paper towels to drain briefly, then to a large shallow baking pan in oven to keep warm, arranging tortillas in one layer (overlapping slightly if necessary) and covering pan with foil.
• Spread each warm tortilla with about 1 teaspoon salsa, then top sparingly with a few shreds of chicken. Thin crema with a little water and drizzle over chicken, then sprinkle with onion and cheese. Serve immediately.

SPICY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Season chicken with cayenne, salt, and black pepper.
• Place chicken on the preheated grill and cook until no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, 5 to 7 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer to a plate and shred using 2 forks.
• Combine tomatillos, serrano peppers, vinegar, water, onion, garlic, and salt in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tomatillos are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and chill in an ice bath until cool, 20 to 30 minutes. Add cilantro and lime juice. Blend salsa thoroughly using an immersion blender.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Mix shredded chicken, cream cheese, 4 ounces Mexican cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup salsa, onion, and cayenne pepper together in a medium bowl.
• Pour just enough salsa into a 9x13-inch baking pan to thinly cover the bottom. Place a heaping spoonful of filling into each tortilla, roll, and place into the pan. Try to keep them from touching. Top with remaining salsa and Mexican cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes.

SOFT HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Whisk the baking powder and salt into the flour.
• Mix in egg using a wooden spoon.
• Cut in the lard (easiest using a pastry cutter, but can be done with forks or butter knives).
• Add warm water.
• Mix, then knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth (I do about 5 minutes).
• Lightly coat hands with some of the reserved lard, and then shape dough into 12 balls. It will be necessary to re-coat hands every 1-2 tortillas. The dough will seem too wet, but it's okay!
• Lightly flour your board and rolling pin, roll out into thin disks. If you're having trouble getting the tortillas thin enough, use a little more flour on your dough board.
• Fry in a dry pan (no oil) on medium high heat, flipping once.
• Keep warm in towel until ready to serve. Or keep in gallon ziplock in the fridge.
• OPTIONAL: Kitchen-Aid mixer with dough hook will work instead of hand-kneading.
• OPTIONAL: I actually prefer to cook them as I roll them, instead of rolling them all out and then cooking them.
• OPTIONAL: Original recipe instructs, after kneading, to place in a NON-metallic bowl, cover with a wet paper towel, and let rest for 20 minutes. Then again, after shaping balls, rest again (similarly covered) for 10 minutes. I usually skip these steps and think they're still great.
• NOTE: Supposedly you should try to make SMOOTH balls, tucking in the bottom similar to yeast rolls, but in my opinion, it makes no difference.