Jaymes

For this recipe, I use mild green chiles - like Anaheim or Poblano. If you wish, you can toss in something a little zippier - but in my experience, most often in Mexican homes a bowl of sliced pickled jalepeños or salsa or bottled hot sauce like Tapatia or some other way to add "picante" would be placed on the table rather than adding it to the dish during cooking. Edit: Originally had said, "Anaheim or Ancho." But, as Sladeums reminded me, "ancho" is the term used for Poblano chiles after they turn red and are picked and dried. So, although sometimes I do use one or two of them, what I should have said is "Poblano" which are the fresh green ones you find in markets.

What was your family food culture when you were growing up? Very traditional middle-class American, with Southern roots, and a heavy dash of the exotic via my father, who had traveled a lot and had been reared by a mother that was a fabulous cook and had owned several restaurants. Was meal time important? Very. I and my brother and sister were all expected to be right there at the table when Dad came home from work. We sat down and ate family style every night. Was cooking important? Very. It symbolized home and warmth and nourishment and tradition and "our people" and fun and family. What we ate was who we were. What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table? Any infraction received a stern look from my father and believe me, that was all it took. Who cooked in the family? Mom, God love her, turned out meal after meal after meal. A brilliant bookish woman that, had she been born later, would probably have been a medical researcher or something. She read encyclopedia as though they were novels. She didn't much like cooking and wasn't too good at it. But she loved her family and did the best she could. Dad was a terrific cook, and on weekends and holidays made interesting exotic things like curries and paella and couscous and stirfry that he had discovered during his travels. And my grandmother often came to visit and when she was in the kitchen, she was a magician weaving magical aromatic culinary spells. Were restaurant meals common, or for special occasions? We ate out practically every single Sunday after church. Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over? Depended on who the guests were. All adults, kids ate early and got stashed away in their rooms. Adult- and kid-guests, arrangements of some kind were made. One favorite was when Dad made up special picnic baskets for the kids, and we took blankets and went out into the back yard and ate, well away from the grownups. We thought this was a particular treat, and didn't view it as being a convenience for the adults. Which, since I did it in later years for my own kids, I now know was the object all along. If weather was inclement, yes, kids got a special kiddie table. My dad loved having interesting and unusual dinner parties. One time, where we lived, we had a wider-than-normal hall, and he took three interior doors off of the hinges and removed the hardware, and placed them low on cinder blocks down through the middle of the hall. Then he decorated these makeshift "tables" beautifully, and scattered big pillows alongside. Guests sat on the floor along the doors and were treated to a grand Japanese dinner complete with sake, etc. He did all the cooking with great theatrical flourish at the "head" of this improvised table. Of course, he told everyone to come in Japanese dress and he wore a robe he had picked up in Japan. It was all very festive. I did this myself a time or two, but our halls were too narrow, so I just put a door or two down low in the middle of the living room. When did you get that first sip of wine? Very early on. Can't really remember. Dad loved good port and often had a glass of it with some cheese for dessert. I got sips from his glass as far back as I can recall. Was there a pre-meal prayer? Yes. Always the same. "Bless us O Lord and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty. Amen." I remember being absolutely stunned the first time I heard a "freeform" prayer while eating at the home of a Protestant friend. I thought, "That sounds like just chatting. Does that count?" Was there a rotating menu (e.g., meatloaf every Thursday)? Not really. Oh, fishsticks on Friday I guess. And marvelous, complicated, wonderful brunches on Sundays with waffles and French toast or pancakes or omelets or Eggs Benedict or something. How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life? A great deal. How can you ever completely dig out and discard those roots that entwine themselves around your heart.

Yes, they are. Again, I think it's a regional thing. But, when you are looking for enchilada recipes with flour tortillas, remember that when flour tortillas are used, instead of being called enchiladas, they are usually called "burras" or "burros" from which we get our term, "burritos." I do have a good recipe for Chicken Molé Enchiladas that specifically calls for flour tortillas, and you can substitute flour tortillas for corn in most recipes. But (and I'm not looking at the recipe so may be wrong and I'll check later when I have time) in my experience, you generally don't dip the flour tortillas into the hot oil nor the sauce. Although of course, in practice you can do whatever you like, and just see how it comes out. One thing I noticed right away when learning about Mexican food is that there seems to be NO hard and fast rules. I'm on my way out, but when I get back, I'll do a little more investigating and get back with further information. In the meantime, I am ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE that I am not the only one on eGullet with good enchilada informacion - so, let's all pitch in! EDIT: Just checked my Chicken Molé recipe, and indeed, you steam the flour tortillas slightly to soften if they require it. Really fresh flour tortillas most likely need no additional softening but you do want to warm them before you fill and roll them. And chimichangas are in reality large flour enchiladas, fried -- And flautas are small flour enchiladas fried.

Oh - at dinner parties, I usually serve a cole slaw lightly-dressed with a light, tangy, vinegar-based dressing alongside my enchiladas. All of this is pretty typically Northern-Mexico stuff.

Yes - it's fairly typical. In fact, I have a cookbook that says in its instructions for stacked Red Enchiladas: "Continue [stacking] in layer cake fashion until each plate has 2 or 3 tortillas. If tortillas seem dry, spoon added sauce to taste. Fry an egg, sunny side up, per serving and place on top of enchiladas." I think it's a regional thing. I've seen it often in Northern Mexico states, and anywhere in Mexico, if you requested it, no one would look askance.

In the "Mexico" chilaquiles thread, I was asked by Snowangel to share any tips, recipes, etc., that I might have for enchiladas. So - For starters: Although I am no expert, and do not claim to be, I will say this - every recipe I’ve ever seen for enchiladas that comes from a Mexican source combines a few simple ingredients that are either pre-cooked, or otherwise require little additional cooking after assembly. So, the instructions are invariably to just pop into oven for twenty minutes or so to heat through. Most “U.S.” or TexMex concoctions have gloppy, heavy sauces (often one of the “cream of” soups) and one must cook these for much longer. Now, I’m not berating these “American-Mexican” type of enchiladas. They have their place. And I have a couple such recipes that call for ground beef, chicken, etc., that my family loves. But anyone searching for “authenticity” would do well to err in the direction of less is more. I am giving two recipes here. Both are quite simple. But they are wonderful. The first is the traditional rolled enchilada that most of us are familiar with. The second is the type of stacked enchilada typical of Sonora, northern Mexico, and New Mexico. And both of these were given to me by Mexican friends who got them from mothers, and grandmothers, and greatgrandmothers. Convenience foods are used when appropriate (“Just BUY the tomato sauce, for heaven’s sake,” one friend told me that her mother had replied after she complained that she didn’t make enchiladas much because granny’s recipe started off by cooking down fresh tomatoes to make the sauce and that was so much trouble.), but these recipes are authentic, and have been handed down for generations. Chicken Enchiladas Stew 1 nice big fat chicken (in grocery stores, I used to send my children to the "chicken case" with orders to look at every single one and get me the biggest and fattest - it was a chore I had done when shopping with MY grandmother years earlier) with seasoned salt, couple cloves garlic, an onion, bay leaf, sprig fresh oregano, in water just to cover. Remove chicken (reserving broth for another use), cool and pick off meat, tearing with your fingers into large bite-sized chunks (large bite-sized chunks - whatever you do, don't take a knife and chop the chicken into small little-bitty pieces). Simmer 24-oz canned tomato sauce, 3-4 Tbls 100% New Mexico Red Chile Powder (accept no substitutes), cumin and seasoned salt to taste, stirring and simmering till all spices are thoroughly blended and sauce is smooth. Take about a half-pound or so each of good-quality mild Cheddar and jack cheese and grate and combine. (Of course, if you live in an area where you have access to good Mexican cheeses, and have a favorite for enchiladas, use that.) In skillet, heat unflavored oil (I just use canola or Wesson or something tasteless) until warm but not smoking. Dip corn tortillas, one at a time, first into the oil, then the hot red sauce, quickly, just to soften and coat with sauce. (This is very tricky. I had a hard time with it for years until finally a Mexicana friend of mine told me she could never do it either, so she got a pie pan and dipped the tortilla into the hot oil, then laid the tortilla in the pie pan and SMEARED it with the red sauce. She did these one at a time until she had four or five in the pie pan, then made her enchiladas from the tortillas in the pan. MUCH easier!) In your enchilada baking pan, smear a little red sauce over the bottom, then one of your dipped tortillas. In the middle of tortilla, spread in a straight line about 1 Tbls of the mixed grated cheeses, 1 Tbls sauce on top of the cheese, then finally, several chunks of the chicken. Roll up the enchilada and place in the pan, seam side DOWN. That should mean that the cheese and sauce side is now UP. Repeat this until all your ingredients are gone. You will be better off if you put your enchiladas in a nice arrangement, snugly side by side, but don't fill up all of the nooks and crannies. If you just shove them in any which way, it won't taste worse, but it doesn't look as pretty and is much more difficult to garnish attractively. Now, pour the rest of your red sauce crosswise over the center of the enchiladas, like you're laying a red carpet down their middles. Sprinkle cheese in the middle of the “carpet.” Your ingredients are already cooked, so you don't want to leave the enchiladas in the oven too long or they will dry out. Just long enough to heat through and melt the cheeses. 350 for about 20 minutes. This makes about 15-18 enchiladas, kinda depending on how big your chicken is. Remove from oven. Garnish with sour cream, then sprinkle with sliced black olives and chopped green onions. Sonoran-Style Stacked Green Chile Enchiladas Prepare your green chile sauce first: For sauce: 12 medium green chile peppers (of course, fresh are way best, but if you must....), peeled, seeded, deveined and chopped 2 medium tomatoes (or 1 cup canned tomatoes), chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 2 small garlic cloves, smashed and chopped 1 tsp salt Roast chiles over gas burners, or on outdoor grill, or under broiler until blistered. Put into plastic baggies and allow steam to permeate. This makes the chiles easy to peel. Remove peel, core, seeds, and visible veins. (Edit: Should have added that if you are using canned green chiles, you don't have to take this step of roasting, peeling, etc.) Chop into half-inch pieces. Place into saucepan and add tomatoes, onion, salt and garlic. Pour in enough water just to cover and simmer ten minutes. For enchiladas: 1 doz corn tortillas 2 C grated cheese (again, if you have a fave Mex cheese, use it; if not, half good quality mild cheddar and half jack) 3 C green chile sauce Allow two or three tortillas per person. Fry tortillas quickly in hot fat just to soften, then dip into hot green chile sauce. You are going to assemble these on the individual serving plates. I usually have my plates stacked in a warm oven. One at a time, place a prepared tortilla on warm plate, sprinkle with cheeses, another hot tortilla, more cheese, top with hot tortilla. Pour over as much green chile sauce as you like for desired wetness. Serve immediately. You can top it with a dollop of sour cream if you’d like. That turns it into an Enchilada Suiza, or Swiss Enchilada.

Please note on the list of salsa ratings in 201's link that Pace only got a 3. If you are in a locale where you are pretty-much restricted to large national brands, try Herdez Salsa Casera - medium or hot. I strongly suspect you ain't gonna be going back to Pace.

GREAT post!

So? Did they arrive? Did you make the soup? What recipe did you use? Did they like it?

On a large scale?? Like commercially? Or just a few for your own sweet self? Okay - I'll assume when you say, "16-20" you're not talking about size (16-20 per pound), and that 16-20 is how many shrimp you want. Unfortunately, I am leaving for a few days in Mexico first thing in the morning, and won't have time to spend on this right now. Because fresh Gulf shrimp is available all over Austin, I haven't really done much research on this, but do sort of recall from living in Galveston that shrimp season ends about now. I can't remember the name of the place in Galveston where we went to buy seafood fresh off the boats (although I can see the place vividly, of course, which is no help to anyone), but I'd suggest that you try calling the Galveston Chamber of Commerce and ask which company has been in business the longest. I'd also call Gaido's in Galveston. It's a famous seafood restaurant and I doubt they ship anything, but they would most certainly know who in town would, if you can pry it out of them. Also, there's a company, Fabian Seafood, 409-765-9522 - that ships seafood all over (although I don't know where you are and if that is included in the area they service), but I think they are wholesale only. Again, you can call and ask them who does what you're interested in. If I were not leaving town, I'd do a little research and find a good name/company/number for you, but just don't have time. Good luck. And maybe some of our Houston people will notice this and leap humbly into the breach. They'd have great info, I know. Good luck.

Thank you! Printed out both the tartar sauce and the shrimp recipe. Will make them very very soon. Really appreciate your taking the time to let us know about them.

Check out the PacNW Cocktail Party thread This is the thread about the Cocktail Party in the PacNW. There are several good recipes there, not to mention a complete "how to" if you want to throw a chic cocktail party your own self. The recipe for Bacon Candy is in there somewhere - actually several posts describe it, I think, as well as a couple of posts in this thread. I've never made it, but am looking forward to trying it as soon as possible!!

This is the most amazing coincidence. I've been looking for a recipe that combines marshmallows and Crescent Rolls! And, a prize winner to boot. I'd love to have it. For one thing, my daughter is a counselor/teacher at a private boarding school, and she is always looking for fun treats to make for her kids. You can PM me with it if you'd like! (And I'm serious. I DO want it.)

I think your Bacon Candy sounds, (dare I say it?) sublime. And, in fact, I plan to hie myself to Whole Foods immediately and get that exact kind of bacon, and have Bacon Candy be my new "thing" here in my small suburb. I predict I'll be a smash hit. What I was commenting on is that the flavor of bacon/sausage with the nut/brown sugar thing sounds similar. And, I actually thought Marlene's suggestion was kind of intriguing, but she was roundly trounced. I just find it amusing, that's all... I mean, it's all in the presentation isn't it? And, in who's doing the presenting.

The flavor of this is beginning to sound similar to Marlene's "pigs in a blanket with a twist" suggestion - For which she was unceremoniously skewered. I find that amusing!

Oh yeah, that's what does it in high school okay.

Diana and Peter often make this for lunch. Since one likes it wetter and one likes it cheesier, one likes it spicer, they make it in small bowls -- not a casserole dish. This is a very easy dish for kids to make. Make a few small dishes varying the proportions of things and see which you like better. Snowangel - that is a fabulous idea. And, with microwaves so easy to use, why not? I really envy you your Mexican neighbors. I love Mexico and its people. Warm, friendly, generous, gracious, hard-working. Living next door to them will be a treat for you, and one you will remember the rest of your life! Que buena suerte!

Yeah, had she bothered to ask me I would have answered her :) I actually spent an entire summer in Mexico City, and Celaya in Guanajuato staying with a 2 families and going to language school in 1985. As to knowing exactly how much "bastante" is though.... So true. One of life's great quandries, ain't it? Some people NEVER learn when "enough" is enough.

Laugh if you want, but I was VERY popular in high school.

Translation please? Rachel - I'm sorry - remember that was originally posted in the Mexico thread, primarily for someone who asked me to post it (I think it was Stellabella), that I know speaks some Spanish. Bastante does mean "enough" but it also is used for "plenty." Like if you were talking to someone and they mentioned that they had eight children, you could say, "Well, that should be enough." So, "bastante queso" means, plenty of cheese for you - however much you like cheese. In other words, don't stint on the cheese! PS - Doesn't Jason speak fluent Spanish? Is that a Mexican colloquialism? EDIT: Just realized this post didn't actually answer your question. The thing is, I don't measure anything. I just take a nice handful of cheese and sprinkle it over. I guess I'd say to cover generously - about one layer's worth of grated cheese sprinkles. That's probably no help either, but since I don't measure, it's the best I can do. You'll just have to experiment with your proportions - make sure you get enough salsa to make it kind of "wet" and cheese and sour cream for flavor. It might take you a couple of tries to get it how you like it.

Eeeeeewwww THAT sounds way naff.

RE - "naff" Might one combine it with a bit of valley-girl speak? Like, might one say something is "way naff" as one might say something is "way cool"?

Two of the most sophisticated and worldy people I know are a Czech couple - he a mechanical engineer, she an electrical engineer. They were actually minor celebs in Soviet-dominated Czechoslovakia, frequently interviewed by the media for their expert opinions on this and that. They escaped (a story in itself) a couple years before the wall fell, and went to Switzerland, where they lived for seven years, then France for a year or so. Then, they took well-paid positions in China, where they lived for three years, and then Thailand, for another year, before finally receiving permission for permanent residence in the U.S. The wife (the electrical engineer who once held a very high position working on sound, in a Czech film studio) is one of the best cooks it has ever been my great honor to know. In each of the countries where this distinguished couple has lived (Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, France, China and Thailand) she has taken extensive cooking classes, including le Cordon Bleu during her time in Paris. She grows a Keiffer Lime tree, just so she can have the leaves for her Thai cooking. She is nobody's culinary rube. They invite me for dinner all the time, and I start salivating as soon as the invitation arrives. This couple invited me 'round for a classic Swiss cheese fondue (as they had enjoyed it in Switzerland). And, unlike Wilfrid's hypothetical guests that he mentioned earlier in the thread, I never once thought she was joking. I thought she was taking the time and trouble to prepare yet another sublime treat just in order to please me. And I was right. I should add that it was the appetizer for an equally sublime and memorable meal. Again, as I and others have said, one can prepare and present anything well, or badly. It's up to the host. And, of course, to the guests who should, rather than prejudge, attend an event to which they have been invited with open minds, generous spirits, and a grand appreciation for the fact that they were invited at all.

I'd suggest you follow Stellabella's recipe. You can add as many extras as you'd like. If the one you're trying to recreate isn't as sweet - cut back on the sugar, etc. As I said, I add bourbon and orange (usually a few spoonsful of frozen OJ concentrate) to the potatoes when I whip them. For a creamy marshmallow topping, buy one of the commercial whipped marshmallow products and spread it over. I am sure that you can find a recipe for marshmallow fluff starting with marshmallows and melting them or something and maybe adding butter and cream, etc., but most recipes I've seen, you just buy a jar and spread. In my house, my children just love the crunchy toasted marshmallow topping that you get when you layer mineature marshmallows over the casserole just before you put it in the oven. I've made lots of sweet potato casseroles through the years, and now only make it the way my children like it. I eschew the fancier praline-type toppings (that, frankly, I love). But my kids prefer me to just dust with cinnamon and nutmeg, dot with butter, crumble brown sugar over, and spread a nice thick layer of mineature marshmallows. That layer spreads out and toasts, making a nice crunchy-sweet crust over all. It is still my children's favorite part. So, we can't very dispense with it, can we???

I have seen lots of "actual recipes" for chilaquiles, but they usually are more formal, involved casserole dishes. I've tried one or two, but they are not what I'm going for. I have no idea, of course, how they ever got started, but regardless as to whether or not someone said, "Boy, these fresh tortillas would sure be good with salsa and cheese and a little sour cream if we baked them," am pretty sure that even if that is how it started, it very soon evolved into just what Saledum said: A good way to use up leftover corn tortillas. But, having said that, I've traveled extensively throughout Mexico and chilaquiles - the simple version like I've discussed above - is ubiquitous on Mexican breakfast buffets. I'd say it's as popular at Mexican breakfast tables as cereal is here (although of course, I have no way of knowing that for sure). I fix them often for breakfast, and serve them like we might serve hash browns - with a couple eggs and some fruit on the side. Rachel - Yes, the initial post in this thread is mine from the Regional Mexican Cooking thread. Survir mentioned that in the title of the thread, but perhaps he should have put quotes around the post. I suspect it was extremely startling for people to discover that he has a grown daughter vacationing in Mexico!!