Enchiladas Verdes de Carnitas

I had some carnitas left over from the last batch (recipe here on the blog), so I decided to make some green enchiladas. Rather than use the regular filling - chicken - I thought some carnitas would make yummy filling. Also different than usual with enchiladas, the sauce is heated separately and poured over the baked enchiladas; this keeps it tasting fresher.


INGREDIENTS - salsa verde
3/4 lb. tomatillos, husked and minced
1 medium bell pepper, small dice
1 Roma tomato, diced
2 jalapenos, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 t. sliced green onions
1 t salt
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced


INGREDIENTS - filling
1 lb. carnitas, warmed
4 oz. cream cheese
3 t. sliced green onions

12 corn tortillas
8 oz. Asadero (or Monterrey Jack) cheese, grated
chopped tomatoes and green onions for garnish


METHOD - salsa
Put all salsa ingredients into a saucepan except the cilantro.
Simmer 20-30 minutes, or until liquid has reduced and you have a smooth and chunky sauce. Remove from burner and stir in cilantro, then set the sauce aside.
Optional (recommended) - whiz up the salsa with a stick blender into an almost-smooth consistency - kinda like split pea soup.


METHOD - assembly
Set the oven to 350 and grease up a 9 x 13 glass pan.

Shred up the carnitas a little for a better texture in the filling. You can use forks or fingers.
In a bowl, mix the carnitas, cream cheese and onions well and set aside.
Heat up half an inch of oil in a skillet until the surface just shimmers. One at a time, dip the corn tortillas into the oil completely using the tongs. It should go limp in a couple of seconds - you will see tiny bubbles just forming at the edge. Take it out right away, you don't want it cooked or hardened. Repeat for remaining tortillas, placing them on paper towels to drain grease.
Now, using the tongs, dip a tortilla into your salsa verde to cover. Remove and lay it on a plate and put about 3 T of filling down the center.
Roll it up snugly and place in the baking dish. Repeat for the rest of the tortillas.
Cover the enchiladas with the shredded cheese in an even layer, but do not add the salsa.
Put enchiladas in pre-heated oven and check in 20-25 minutes, removing when the enchiladas are heated and the cheese is bubbly. Remove them from the oven and cover with sauce. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and onions and serve hot.

Plated picture coming soon!