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[rps]

Beefy Enchilada Casserole

Source: Internet recipes tweeked and twisted by rps.

Ingredients

1 pound ground chuck

1 onion diced

1 19 ounce can of mild red enchilada sauce

8 ounces shredded cheddar jack (divided)

1 can whole green chiles, drained and large diced

1 Tbs. cumin

1 Tbs. Chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 minced clove of garlic

1 cup fresh salsa (may substitute mild chunky jar salsa)

18 small corn tortillas, cut in half

Olive oil

Salt to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Fry the onion, ground chuck, and garlic in olive oil. As the meat cooks add the spices and salt. When the meat is brown and the onions translucent, remove from the heat and cool.

Add half the cheese, the green chiles, and the salsa to the beef and mix well. Pour ½ cup enchilada sauce into the meat mixture and blend.

Coat the bottom of a 13 X 9 baking dish with the enchilada sauce. Use 6 tortillas (12 pieces) to overlap and cover the bottom of the casserole dish. Spoon half the meat mixture onto the tortilla layer. Spread the meat over the entire dish. Use six more tortillas (12 pieces) to overlap and cover the meat layer. Spread the remaining meat mixture over the tortillas and use the remaining tortillas to cover the meat layer.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the tortilla top layer. Spread the remaining cheese over the casserole.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until bubbly and cheese begins to brown.

Rest the casserole for 10 minutes before slicing.

Garnish with cilantro and salsa.

Ground beef and onions cooked:

Layers built and ready for the oven:

Plated and garnished:

[Flysmallie]

Yum everyone. Ness soup looks fine. Yesterday it was a pot of good old brown beans with a side of corn bread. Plain, simple, tasty and good for you. Not too sure about today. Mrs. BilletHead feels kind of puny so I guess I will heat up another bowl of beans.

Bon Appetite ,

BilletHead

Beans and cornbread is good stuff. I like to add a pile of fried taters to the plate.

[ness]

Lookin good rps.

And, I agree beans and cornbread is good eating

[Terrierman]

Huevos Ranchera on a snowy March morning.

[rps]

Huevos Ranchera on a snowy March morning.

Excellent notion!

My wife made her mile high biscuits to go with some cherry wood smoked bacon.

[ness]

More gumbo, and a couple sourdough loaves. SBS on the gumbo:

Ingredients -- Andouille, chicken thighs, frozen raw shrimp with shells.


The veggies -- I like a poblano instead of a green bell


Spices, etc. The Worcestershire sauce was late for the photo shoot.




A hunk of the roux I made last week (50-50 flour and oil, baked in the oven at 350 for 2 hours). Heat that up until it melts and dice up the veggies. Then add them to the roux:

Cook about ten minutes to get the veggies started -- be careful not to scorch the roux or it's gonna be chicken, shrimp and andouille on a plate for dinner. Add the spices (½ teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 tablespoon parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, 4 bay leaves, all approximate), diced tomatoes with juice, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 4 cups chicken broth (water and cubes). Simmer 30 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, remove skin and excess fat from chicken thighs and season with a dash of salt, pepper and cayenne.

After 30 minutes, add them to the soup and cook for 30 minutes. While that's going on, peel the shrimp and retain the shells. Place the shells in a saucepan with just enough water to cover them. Turn heat on high, bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. The shells will change to a pinkish color. Then strain the shells from the stock and add it to the soup.

Remove the thighs, let them cool and shred the meat. I try to get rid of all the fat. Add the chicken back and simmer about another 10 minutes to get everything working together. I skim the oil from the chicken and/or roux off the top. Add a few more shakes of Worcestershire sauce, adjust seasoning, then turn off the heat. Add the diced andouille (assuming it's cooked, if not, better cook it) and shrimp. Let the carryover heat warm the sausage and cook the shrimp for 5-10 minutes. I like to add the sausage at the end because I don't want the fat to render out. Shrimp only need a few minutes or they curl into a ring and get chewy.

Important disclosure: this pic is a retread from last week, actual results today may have varied slightly. So don't be calling me out for falsifying stuff. You know who you are



Almost forgot the bread. No yeast, just sourdough. I gotta say the flavor is outstanding! The crumb was much better than my last try too -- I let it rise longer.

[BilletHead]

Ahhhh looks good don't ya know. I think like you suggested using something we have been "chooting" out of the sky

We will be trying this,

BilletHead

[ness]

Yeah, gumbo is like chili--no real rules. I've done it without sausage a lot of times. I've done it with file, okra, fish, scallops, I'm sure some other things I'm forgetting. I would think it would be a good match for duck, goose, rabbit, venison, whatever game.

[Quillback]

I am going to have to make some gumbo, looks very tasty.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Yeah, gumbo is like chili--no real rules. I've done it without sausage a lot of times. I've done it with file, okra, fish, scallops, I'm sure some other things I'm forgetting. I would think it would be a good match for duck, goose, rabbit, venison, whatever game.

I've got a version I call "Gumbolaya".

I have a great Spanish Rice recipe that I use as a base and add all the common ingredients from both and it's just a little thicker than most.

Is it authentic? Not really.

Do I like it? Oh you bet!!!