Enchiladas Montadas, Verde y Colorado, en estilo de Nueva Mexico

That's "New Mexico style Red and Green Stacked Enchiladas" for you gringos! This will feed 2-4 people, depending on hunger and side dishes. It's very filling - no pun intended.

Some comida from New Mexico. I know there's a girl in Austin that misses this yummy stuff, so this one's for you, Jana Po!



This is the New Mexico variation complete with over easy egg. íSalud!

Ingredients
6 Hatch green peppers - seeded, stemmed and roasted, skin removed
(you can use 2 4oz cans if you must)
8 oz. shredded queso quesadilla - goes in green stack
6 oz (or 1/2 small jar) of nopalitos (cactus cut in small strips), rinsed WELL and drained
2 chicken breasts or 4 thighs - boneless & skinless, trimmed of fat (thighs taste better!)

red chile sauce
(I was in a hurry so used enchilada sauce)
8 oz. shredded cheddar - goes in red stack
1 lb ground beef

8 corn tortillas
Oil
2 eggs
2 Tbsp cilantro, minced

Directions
Place peppers in food processor and whiz it until a chunky sauce ensues. If it is a too little thick, blend some more, and even add a little water, but do not completely puree.

Put red enchilada sauce in a small saucepan over medium low heat. If it is too thin, the authentic way is to add a little corn meal for a thickening agent.

Bring 1 quart of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Crumble the ground meat into the boiling ware, and boil until cooked, which will only be a few minutes. Remove from heat, let cool a bit and strain out water, reserving one cup.

Add taco seasoning to ground beef (or use your own favorite seasonings), stirring in well. Add back water as needed to make the meat mixture a good consistency. Once well mixed, add a fourth of the meat mixture to the red sauce, and set the rest aside.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic. Cook in an un-oiled skillet until browned, then flip and repeat with other side. You can also of course grill it outside if you like. Once the chicken is cooked, let cool and shred the meat. Set aside.

All of the above can be done a day in advance.




Next, we'll prepare the tortillas. Heat a scant quarter-inch of cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat. Slide a corn tortilla into the oil and leave just long enough to see small bumps start to rise on it, then remove it with tongs and drain on paper towels. Repeat for the seven remaining tortillas. This will make them both softer and tougher against tearing.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Time to build the stacks. I made these on the same platter, but it may be easier to do it on two separate plates. We'll do the green one first. Ladle a little bit of the sauce on the plate and then lay down a tortilla. On this goes about a fourth of the queso quesadilla cheese and about a third of the nopalitos, and about a third of the shredded chicken. Repeat these steps two more times, so that you have 3 layers. Finally, top with a tortilla and the rest of the same cheese.

Next, we will do the same for the other enchilada. First, take about 20% of the seasoned beef and mix it in with the red chili sauce. Now, repeat the steps above with the cheddar cheese, the meat-enhanced red chili sauce and the remaining seasoned beef. Top with the last tortilla and the remaining cheddar cheese.


Slide these babies into the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes - you want everything melted but not starting to brown. you're just gonna have to watch them. You can do them under a low broiler as well, but you can't do ANYTHING else but watch them, that works really fast.


Once out of the oven, it's time for the "montada" part of the dish, so top each stack with a nice over-easy egg. This will break and run down through the enchilada, adding both great flavor and texture to the dish. I finished off the dish with minced cilantro, both for color and because I like the taste.


You can also use shredded lettuce and chopped tomato, pico de gallo, olives, or other garnish. Here is a picture of the enchiladas having been cut:


And here is a closeup showing the layers and fillings: