We’re cooking up this classic enchilada dish in honor of Cinco de Mayo. This dish features stacked, not rolled, enchiladas covered in ground beef and pork and smothered in red chile sauce.It was originally served at the early 1960s Albuquerque restaurant, Videz. The restaurant was torn down to make way for Interstate 40, but the recipe lives on in the pages of the May/June issue of Burn!
Stacked Red Chile Enchiladas
6 to 8 dried red New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds removed
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon ground Mexican oregano
1/2 pound pork, cubed from a roast or chops
1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds very lean ground beef
12 corn tortillas
Vegetable oil for frying
2 cups grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
Cover the chiles with very hot water and soak for 20 to 30 minutes or until limp and partially rehydrated. Place the chiles in the blender (they should loosely fill 3/4 of the container, if more, make two small batches.) Fill the container up near the top with water. Drop in the clove of garlic and sprinkle the top with the oregano. Add a little salt at this stage if you wish. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes on high or until a homogeneous or orangish-red mixture is obtained.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan and add the pork. Cook, covered over a very low heat or uncovered at a slight bubble, for 2 to 3 hours. If cooked uncovered, periodically add water back to original level to maintain proper consistency which I can only describe as medium soupy.
Remove the pork pieces and save for another meal such as carne adovada. Place the chile sauce in the refrigerator and cool. Remove any fat that congeals on the top.
Season the beef with a little salt and pepper and saute in a skillet until the meat is no longer pink. Combine the sauce and beef and simmer, covered, for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.
Fry three tortillas per person in a couple of inches of oil until they are slightly harder than taco shells. As they are removed from the oil with tongs, dip each into the red chile pot until they are fully submerged. Remove, place on a plate and top with some cheese and onion.
Continue the process until the tortillas are stacked three high on each plate.
Ladle red chile, including a small amount of the meat, over the tortilla stack until it is puddled up as deep as it will stand around the base of the stack. Cover the enchilada lightly with grated cheese and place in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings
Heat Scale: Medium
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