One of the best aspects of my CSA is that the farmer is of Mexican heritage and he grows many of the traditional ingredients used in Mexican dishes. Therefore I regularly receive an abundance of tomatillos, a variety of chili peppers, and cilantro. Because of this I often make vegetable enchiladas. I usually make a tomato-based enchilada sauce, but I recently felt like changing it up a little, so I took some inspiration from a poblano enchiladas recipe I once came across that used a white sauce. Since I had serrano peppers, I substituted those for poblanos and used all the vegetables I had on hand for the filling. Rich and decadent, this dish is not for those on a low-fat diet, but if you want to cheat, these enchiladas are completely worth it.
Method: Broil serrano peppers under high heat until they blister, about 15 minutes. Let them cool in a bowl of ice water. When the peppers are cool, remove the skin, the core, and the seeds, and chop them finely. Divide in half (½ for the sauce and ½ for the filling). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the sauce: Add the butter and flour to a medium pot, cook for about five minutes. Don’t hurry this. Slowly add one cup of stock at a time, stirring until thick and bubbly. Add the sour cream and whisk until smooth. Add the cumin, one cup of cilantro, and the serrano peppers that were reserved for the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat off. For the filling: Saute the combination of vegetables you are using (I used corn, green peppers, tomatillos, and zucchini). In a large mixing bowl combine one cup of sauce, Monterey Jack cheese, the cooked vegetables, one cup of cilantro, and cayenne pepper. To assemble: Line up the tortillas in one large or two small baking pans. Fill each tortilla with the vegetable combination and fold. When are tortillas are filled and folded, ladle the sauce over the enchiladas. Bake for 40 minutes. Top with remaining cilantro.
Ingredients for Sharpe’s Vegetable Enchiladas (serves 6):
4 – 6 serrano peppers
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups sour cream
1 tablespoon cumin
2 cups cilantro plus additional for garnish
1 cups Monterey Jack cheese,
2 cups of vegetables of your choice, chopped
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
12 flour tortillas
