Crawfish Enchiladas

Hi!  I know I haven't posted much recently, but this month has been pretty crazy. But I have been making some tasty things and I can't wait to share them with you and get back to posting. 

One of the yummy things we made recently was crawfish enchiladas. This is another one of our favorite recipes from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. They taste so good!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
• 2 chopped jalapeños (about 1/3 cup)
• the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of chopped green chilis, but we prefer the taste and heat of jalapeños
• 3/8 cup finely chopped bell pepper
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 pound peeled crawfish tails
• 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 10 corn tortillas
• Seasoning Mix 1
• 5/8 tsp salt
• 3/8 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/8 tsp oregano
• 1 minced garlic clove
• Seasoning Mix 2
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp oregano

In a large skillet, melt 1/2 stick of the butter. Add the onions, jalapeños, bell peppers and Seasoning Mix 1. Sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in the heavy cream and bring mixture to a rapid boil; then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the sour cream and stir continuously until the cream is dissolved, about 2 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and stir until melted.

In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the remaining 1/2 stick butter. Add the crawfish, green onions, and Seasoning Mix 2. Sauté over medium heat for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the cheese sauce to the crawfish mixture and stir well. Simmer until the flavors are well-blended, about 6-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small saucepan, heat the oil to about 325º. Hold the tortillas one at a time with metal tongs and dip each in hot oil just long enough to soften, about 30 seconds.

Drain on paper towels.

Spread a thin layer of the crawfish sauce on an ovenproof baking dish.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the crawfish sauce and a small amount of cheese on each tortilla and roll the tortilla around the filling.

Pour the remainder of the crawfish sauce on the enchiladas.

Cover the tortillas with the remaining cheese.

Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 350º for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Serve immediately.

These are really good - they're one of my family's favorite meals!

Cheese Enchiladas

Last week, we had another blast of winter here in Dallas.  Since it was cool and windy, we decided we wanted something warm and tasty and decided to make cheese enchiladas on Thursday.  Cheese enchiladas are a Tex-Mex favorite and we used the recipe in Robb Walsh's Tex-Mex Cookbook which you can buy on Amazon.  This book has a ton of tasty Tex-Mex recipes, sprinkled with interesting tidbits of Texas history and historical photographs.

Ingredients:

• Chili Gravy
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. powdered garlic
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
• 2 tbsp. chili power
• 2 cups chicken broth or water 
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 8 corn tortillas
• 2 cups grated Velveeta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Yield: 4 servings (8 enchiladas)

To make the chili gravy, heat the peanut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3-4 minutes, until it makes a light brown roux.  Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending the ingredients.  Add the chicken broth, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens.

Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes.  Add water to adjust the thickness if necessary.

Next we grated the Velveeta and chopped the onions.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Ladle 1 cup of the chili gravy on to a large ovenproof baking dish.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat for 3 minutes.  Using tongs, place a tortilla in the hot oil for 30 seconds, or until soft and lightly browned.

Place the tortilla on a paper towel and allow to cool before handling.

Place 1/4 cup of the Veleveeta and 1 tablespoon of the chopped onion down the center of the tortilla and roll the tortilla around the filling.

Place the tortilla seam side down on the gravy covered plate.  Repeat with the other 7 tortillas.

Pour the remaining chili gravy over the top of the tortillas and sprinkle the dish with the shredded cheddar cheese and remaining chopped onions.  Bake the dish for 15 minutes or until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is well melted.

Our enchiladas were staggered so we could divide them into 4 servings easier.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

These enchiladas were really tasty and a great way to warm up on a cool winter day.  

Do you have any Tex-Mex favorites?