Bean and Cheese Enchiladas or Casserole
(En Español)
We offer these recipes
as a help in adding to our prayer and experience of solidarity with the
poor during Lent. Of course, they can be used at any time during
the year.
In assembling these, it is easy to pray with the women in Mexico making these by hand for their families, for parish festivals, and for all kinds of celebrations. The traditional way of making the enchilada sauce is to use fresh poblano peppers or to rehydrate dried ones. The poblano peppers are cooked only a brief time and mashed with a mortar and pestle or with a heavy spoon or potato masher. The addition of cumin, oregano, garlic, diced cilantro and lime juice make it a traditional enchilada sauce. Notice there are no tomatoes in the sauce. Several tablespoons of chili powder and some water can make a substitute for the poblano peppers. Ingredients: A bag of flour tortillas (10-12) (large size or small size) Preparation: (This assembly works great with two people: one preparing tortillas and one filling and wrapping them.) Place beans in a bowl and place the cheese in a bowl for easy assembly of enchiladas. Bake dish at 350 degrees for one hour. Either thaw frozen dish before baking or bake for an additional half an hour. Alternatively, each enchilada may be wrapped in aluminum foil. Wrapped enchiladas may be placed in a zip lock freezer bag and frozen. Another style of casserole is made by laying open tortillas on the bottom of the dish, topping them with a thin layer of beans and cheese, and proceeding with two or three more layers – lasagna style – topping the whole dish with sauce and cheese. Bake dish at 350 degrees for one hour. |