Receta Cheese Enchiladas, Tijuana Tilly style
I was looking at the menu plan for the week and saw that I'd written down Cheese Enchiladas for our meal today.
And then I started reminiscing, to myself, silently, about the restaurant that we used to go to when I was first married. I loved going there, we went there for special occasions and I always ordered the same thing.
Cheese Enchiladas, with rice and beans of course. I loved their enchiladas, and mourned deeply when the restaurant closed and then torn down and an Olive Garden was built there. Tijuana Tilly's will always be my favourite Mexican restaurant, sigh. They've been gone for a very long time. But I made do and got to know and love a couple of other restaurants along the way.
Then I moved.
And I now live in a place where I have to drive either 30 miles one way or 25 miles the other way to be able to eat Mexican food.
I make it myself now.
Now that you've read this far, and thank you for doing so,I thought I'd share how I make my version of Cheese Enchiladas, Tijuana Tilly style.
To start with, you need cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. OK, maybe not that much, but get out the grater and start shredding. I like a mixture of Colby Jack Cheese and Monterey Jack cheese, and luckily for me, I can get it already mixed, all I need to do is shred it. I bet you can get it the same way too. Just kidding here. But you can use the cheese that's already shredded, if you like. I think it tastes best when you shred it yourself, but...
After shredding the cheese, divide it in half and add about 1/2 cup drained sliced black olives to half the cheese mixture along with a finely diced shallot, or 1/4 cup diced onion. Either one will do. I just happened to have a single, solitary shallot left from when I made the Caramelized Shallots for the tart a week or so ago.
Now for the fun part. Assembling the enchiladas. I usually warm the flour tortillas just a little, it makes them easier to roll up.
Get a good handful of cheese, place it on the flour tortilla and then either roll it up or make a burrito style roll up. Which means folding the end over the cheese, then folding in the sides and rolling it the rest of the way. I like doing it like that, cause I hate the cheese escaping out of the ends of the tortilla. Place the rolled tortilla seam side down in a greased
baking pan, then proceed with the rest of the cheese and tortillas. Pour some hot enchilada sauce over
top,and sprinkle with a little more cheese if you like, and put in the microwave for about 6 minutes at 70% power. Or until the cheese has melted. I've baked these in an oven in the past, but really don't like how the tortillas get gummy.
Serve with some Refried Beans and Mexican Rice.
And serve the leftover beans rolled in a flour tortilla for breakfast. Along with a little cheese, browned in a pan. So good.