Chicken Enchiladas Verdes - "Chicken Enchiladas With Green Chile"

4 Chicken breasts
2 cups Tomato, canned; mashed
1/2 cup Onion; chopped
1 t Garlic powder
1 t Salt
About 12 corn Tortillas
Oil for frying tortillas (about 2 Tbls)
Salsa Verde (or your choice of green chile sauce)
1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese (sharp) (optional)
Sour cream

In large pot, boil chicken in water to cover until tender; reserve 2 cups broth. De-bone and dice chicken.

Add chicken, tomatoes, onion, salt and garlic to reserved broth; boil 10 minutes or until reduced enough for enchilada filling. Strain.

Heat a bit of oil in a small skillet; press each tortilla into the hot oil a few seconds to soften them and make them more pliable to roll.

Stuff with chicken filling. Roll filled tortillas and place in baking dish. Cover with Salsa Verde. If using cheese, sprinkle over the top of the salsa verde.

Bake at 375 degrees until thoroughly heated, about 25 minutes. Before serving, top with sour cream.

Red Chile Caribe

Made typically by soaking dried red chile pods and blending to a coarse texture, you can substitute crushed red pepper flakes, which also have been soaked in water until soft, then blended into a puree. There are many uses for this simple chile sauce, which adds both flavor and heat to many dishes.

Red chile pods can be mild, medium-hot, and hot, so find the level you prefer. This is a traditional method for making this puree, but many people also lightly toast the dried pods before reconstituting them in water. This adds a wonderful taste--provided you don't blacken the pods!

6 dry red chile pods
6 cloves garlic
1 t salt
1/2 t oregano

Clean, de-stem, and seed dry red chile pods. Wash in warm water then soak in hot water until soft. Place chile pods in blender and add enough water to help it blend, without drowning the pods! The idea is to make a coarse puree without making it an actual paste. Blend together with one clove garlic and salt to taste. Oregano may be added for additional seasoning.

I store mine in a little clay pot and keep it refrigerated.

Note: To toast the dried pods, place them on a griddle on the stove top or in the oven. Heat the griddle over medium high heat, watching the pods so that they look toasty dark red in spots (you don't have to thoroughly toast the entire pod). If you're toasting medium-hot to hot chile pods, make sure you have adequate ventilation--some people don't like the smell of the roasting pod.

In the oven, put the temperature to 350 degrees and preheat. Place the dried chile pods on a tray in the center of the oven, and toast for about 5 minutes.

After removing the pods from the oven OR the griddle, let them cool before handling. Soak in boiling water until they are softened, and then puree in a blender as noted in the recipe.

Chile Colorado por Christina Stearman

This is a very delicious plate. Translated, it means "Red Chile for Christina Stearman", but the added ingredients make a great satisfying meal. It can be served for breakfast or dinner!

1 pound pork or beef, cubed
1/2 pound bacon, chopped, fried, crumbled
1/2 Red Onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Golden Potatoes
Oil for frying
1 Cup Red Chile Caribe
1 T white flour with water
1 t salt

This recipe is dedicated to my daughter Chrissy (Christina L. Stearman):

Scour/clean potatoes and place them in a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to boiling and half-cook for about 8 minutes. Remove potatoes and let them cool.

Sear cubed pork or beef in large iron skillet over medium-high heat. When browned, reduce heat to medium and toss in bacon, onion and garlic. Stir frequently. When onion is translucent, remove mixture from skillet onto plate or bowl.

Add oil to medium-high heat skillet. Peel potatoes and cube them (1-inch cubes), and fry in oil until golden brown. Turn heat to low and return meat mixture to potatoes, stir and cover.

Mix white flour with enough water to make a white liquid. Add to skillet. Pour red chile puree (caribe) over potatoes and meat. Add salt to taste. Simmer for about fifteen minutes, uncovered, until mixture begins to thicken. Add cilantro. Do not add water unless mixture becomes too dry.

Serve with eggs and hot tortillas (corn or white flour). Garnish with cilantro.