Carnitas Enchiladas – Recipe!

I hope you all had a good weekend and aren’t too foggy from the loss of one hour’s sleep.  This past Saturday I posted a Slow-Cooker Caribbean Roast Pork recipe, and if you happened to prepare it, you probably soon realized that there would be plenty of leftovers for the coming week.  I ended up with at least an extra pound or so of pork, which is always a bonus when making a large quantity meal.  Now the fun part begins, and the creative leftovers can be transformed into oh-so many delicious things.

A steaming hot casserole of enchiladas is the first thing that came to mind.  Mexican food is a favorite in my house, and what better way to utilize shredded pork, than to roll it up in a tortilla with some cheese, and douse them in enchilada sauce.  The flavors of homemade enchiladas are so divine, and I know many of you may be a little challenged to find dried chilies in your local grocery, so you can go with canned enchilada sauce, if you need to, but I do recommend making your own some day when you get your hands on some lovely dried chilies.  It’s so worth it.

These enchiladas are as good as your favorite Mexican food restaurant, if not better, and you can freeze an additional casserole for future meals if you ended up making several with all the leftovers.  I prepared at least two casseroles myself, the more the merrier I say.  I topped mine with sliced jalapenos and fresh cilantro leaves, and served them with some cool sour cream.  A batch of Mexican rice served on the side isn’t a bad idea either.  Have a good week.

Ingredients

3/4 pound shredded cooked pork

3 cups shredded jack cheese

1 cup crumbled Cotija

20 corn tortillas

1/2 cup vegetable oil + more for dish

jalapenos for garnish

cilantro for garnish

Enchilada Sauce

4 guajillo dried chilies

4 pasilla dried chilies

1/2 white onion, sliced

1 cup chicken broth

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons salt

Or 

1 large can red enchilada sauce, store-bought

(Serves 6 or more)

To Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, add dried chilies and cover with boiling water.  Steep in water for 20 minutes.
2. Drain chilies, reserving 1 cup of water and place chilies in a blender with water, chicken broth, onion and garlic, puree until smooth.  Add more hot water to thin if necessary.
3. Brush tortillas with oil on both sides and place in a large plastic bag.  Fold bag in half, but do not seal.  Place in microwave for 45 seconds to heat.  It makes them much more pliable without frying.
4. Toss 1 cup of sauce with shredded pork.  Drizzle 2/3 cup of sauce in bottom of oiled 13 x 9 casserole dish.  Drag each tortilla through sauce and fill with 2 tablespoons pork, 2 tablespoons jack cheese and a big pinch of Cotija cheese.  Roll up and place seam-side-down in casserole dish.  See pic above.  Roll each tortilla until all are filled.  You may need two dishes.
5. Pour sauce over enchiladas and cover with foil.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.  Top with jalapenos and cilantro, if desired.  Serve with sour cream.  Enjoy!