Enchiladas with Ramps and Fiddlehead Ferns

Sundays we tend to do some cooking for the week. Hubs made a meat pasta sauce and I made my enchilada bake. I had purchased some dried chilies and wanted to use them so I made up my own enchilada sauce for it.

Making enchilada sauce. Red onion, garlic, dried Guajillo and Pasilla chiles and the water they soaked in, jalapeño, parsley, cilantro, tomato, tomato paste, shot of vinegar, cumin, salt, and pepper. I made the enchilada recipe with ground beef instead of chicken but you can find the recipe here.

I served the enchilada with spring goodies found at Whole Foods - fiddleheads and ramps.

Enchilada casserole topped with sour cream and avocado, served with fiddlehead ferns and ramps sautéed in garlic butter.

Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Bake

I *love* enchiladas. But they are a pain to make the traditional way. Torn tortillas and heating and saucing. This cuts the time down considerably. Even more of a time saver is if you buy the sauce instead of making it from scratch (Trader Joe's has a great Enchilada Sauce). But of course, from fresh means you can control the salt, the flavors and really make it just how you like it. Plus you can make a lot of it at once, and freeze it until you are ready for another batch.

The Sauce:
1 onion - rough chop
1-3 poblano/ancho peppers (fresh) - depending on how hot you like it
2 large tomatoes
1 can Rotel (or 1 can diced tomatoes + jalapeno)
3-4 garlic cloves
2-3 TBSP oregano
1 small can tomato paste
1 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Slice tomato and put on tray with poblano/ancho peppers. Drizzle with oil and season with a little salt. Put in oven under broiler (low) for 15 minutes to roast and concentrate flavors.

Blend onion, peppers, tomatoes, rotel, garlic and oregano in blender/food processor until smooth. In a saucepan, add tomato paste and saute it for 3-5 minutes to cook it a little (will add a sweetness). Add in mixture from blender/food processor. Add 1 TBSP cumin, 1 TBSP chili powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Cook for 1-3 hours on low heat to let flavors develop and meld, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.

For Bake:
- Sauce (see above)
- Corn Tortillas (12)
- Mexican Cheese - about 2 cups
- 1 - 1.5 lbs chicken breast
- 1/2 14 oz can low-sodium Chicken Broth
- 1/2 to 1/3 onion diced

Directions:
In saute pan, add a little olive oil and the diced onion. Let soften, then add chicken and enough chicken broth to cover. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook down until broth evaporates. Shred chicken.

In a 9x13 baking dish, spread a layer of the sauce. Then cover with 6 of the corn tortillas (tip: cut them in half to have a flat edge). Add chicken in even layer, top with coating of sauce and then cheese. Top with the remaining 6 tortillas. Cover with sauce and then cheese.

Bake in a 350F oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Enjoy!