Friday Night: Return of the Urban Family Dinner (Mexican feast-style)

Friday night dinner parties can be a bit of a challenge, especially when you are unfortunate enough to see one of your card tables collapse and three of your lovely dinner plates smash on the floor.  But good friends and a healthy glass of wine can heal a lot of wounds and once the shards of glass were discarded, my spirits were buoyed.

So onto the food: It was a Mexican-inspired feast, which I was proud to produce without even an ounce of cheese. The main events were vegetarian enchiladas and a Southwestern saute of chicken, which were accompanied by chips and guacamole, Mexican red rice, and an improvised cabbage-cilantro slaw.   Dessert was Bittman's excellent chocolate pudding. 

All the dishes posted here serve four to six folks, so double the recipes if you have 11 friends showing up at your door.


Note: if you happen to run out of tortillas mid-way through the assemblage of the enchiladas, an adequate stand-in is a leaf of green cabbage.  It's not an enchilada per se, but rather an extremely tasty Eastern European-Mexican fusion treat.  And they were all gobbled up!
 
Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce
From Veganomicon



Enchilada Chile Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 large green chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped coarsely
2 – 3 teaspoons chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon marjoram or mexican oregano
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons salt

Potato and Kale Filling:1 pound waxy potatoes
1/2 pound kale washed, trimmed and chopped finely
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup toasted pepitas
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 – 14 corn tortillas

Preheat the oven to 375F and have ready a shallow casserole dish (we usually need two for this recipe).

Prepare the enchilada sauce first: In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, saute the onions in oil for 4 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a simmer and remove from the heat. Puree with a blender until the mixture is smooth and even.

Prepare the filling: Peel and dice the potatoes, then boil them until tender. Drain and set aside. Cook the oil and minced garlic over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is slightly browned. Add the kale, sprinke with salt and raise the heat to medium stirring constantly to cover the kale with oil and garlic.

Partially cover the pot to steam the kale until it has wilted – 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid and mix in the potatoes, vegetable stock, lime juice, pumpkin seeds and salt. Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash some of the potatoes. Cook for another 3 – 4 minutes.

Ladle a small amount of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish. Heat a corn tortilla (30 seconds in a fry pan) dip the tortilla in the enchilada sauce so that it is covered in the sauce.

Place the soaked tortilla on a plate and place some potato mixture inside. Roll it up and put it in the casserole dish. Repeat with each of the enchiladas until you have lined them all up in the dish. Cover with enchilada sauce (saving some for topping) and cover with foil, place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes. Top individual servings with the remainder of the enchilada sauce once cooked.

Chicken Machaca
from The Border Cookbook, posted on We (heart) Food

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
cilantro, for garnish

Pound the chicken breasts to 1/2-inch thickness, then cut in long 1/2-inch wide strips. In a large skillet over high heat, warm the oil. Swirl the oil around the pan to coat completely, and add the chicken. Cook the chicken, stirring often, until just done. Remove with a slotted spoon to another plate and set aside. Add the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeño and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and cumin. Cook another 2 minutes, then add the chicken back to the pan and heat through.

Garnish with cilantro.

Mexican Red Rice
from The Border Cookbook, posted on We (heart) Food

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp chile powder
3/4 tbsp salt

In a medium saucepan, warm the peanut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. Add the rice and tomatoes, stirring for a couple of minutes so that the rice is coated with the oil. Add the stock, chile, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-18 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let steam, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.