Flat Green Chili Enchilada

 

My husband's specialty is making flat green chili enchiladas with an egg on top.  We all love them, including the boys.  Market Street and Whole Foods both sell roasted Hatch green chiles for about two weekends late summer when they are in season.  We usually buy about 20 pounds and put them in the freezer so we can have this dish year round.  When we first got married (before children), we would drive to New Mexico for vacation, pick chili on the day we were leaving, and bring it home.  We would then roast it and freeze it ourselves.  We freeze the roasted chili after it has cooled in gallon Ziploc bags.  We have found them easier to peel after they have been frozen.  If you have never tried these, you should this year!

 



Ingredients:

1 gallon Ziploc bag of roasted green chili (or about 3 - 4 cups chopped)

1 yellow onion, diced finely

2 clove garlic, minced

1/2 - 3/4 cup olive oil, depending on green chili quantity

~ 3 cups water

~ 3 Tbl flour

~ 1 tsp sea salt

 

2 - 3 corn tortillas per person (be sure to buy organic)

2 - 3 cups grated white Colby or Jack type cheese (grate it yourself)

 

Peel, devein, and deseed chili. Then chop chili into small pieces.  Heat a heavy skillet (don't use one with a nonstick cooking).  Put the olive oil in the hot skillet and heat.  Sauté onion and garlic in oil. Remove from heat, sprinkle in flour, stirring constantly.  You want flour to absorb oil, but you don't want a thick paste.  Place back on low heat, stir in water slowly, so flour/oil mixture and water combine well.  Add green chili and stir.  Add sea salt (don't over salt - initially it will not taste salty enough so wait until it has simmered awhile before tasting).  Simmer for 15 to 30 minutes.  Sauce needs to be on the thin side so it spreads nicely on tortillas (you don't want it to be a thick sauce).

 

Put a little chili sauce on a oven-safe plate, add a corn tortilla, more chili sauce, then a thin layer of shredded cheese (use white cheese since all orange cheeses have been 'colored' upon processing).  Add another corn tortilla, chili sauce and cheese layer.  Repeat a third time.  We make them three corn tortillas thick, but you can make them 2 corn tortillas thick for a smaller portion.  Place in oven at 375 °F for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted well and chili is bubbling.  Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.  During this time, cook eggs over-easy.  Place egg on top (I like two eggs on mine) and serve.  The egg is a wonderful addition, cutting the heat of the chili.  These chiles can be very hot so buy the mild, or make a mix of mild and medium.

 

Green chili enchiladas with New Mexico Hatch green chili smell and taste so delicious that I forgot I was going to take a photo before eating a couple of bites from my plate!