Red Chile and Cheese Enchiladas
Adapted from RICKBAYLESS.COM and SeriousEats.com 
Enchiladas Rojas con Queso

For sauce
  • 1 ounce dried Ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
  • 1 ounce dried Guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
  • 1 dried Arbol chile, stem and seeds removed
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
  • ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 8 ounces of canned diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire roasted)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
  •  1 cup chicken broth, plus a little extra if necessary
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  1. Heat a heavy 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cut all the chilies open along one side, so that they can be laid flat. Working in batches, cook chilies in the skillet, pressing down with a spatula, until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 seconds on each side; be careful not to let chilies burn. Transfer to a large bowl and cover chilies with hot stock, setting a small plate on top to keep them submerged. Let stand 30 minutes.
  2. Saute onions and garlic in 1 Tbl oil, stirring occasionally, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer onion and garlic to a blender.
  3. Transfer chilies and stock to the blender with onions and garlic, and add cumin, oregano, black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, sugar and 1 cup tomatoes with juice. Blend mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula occasionally, about 1 to 2 minutes on high. If the mixture won’t blend, add another 1/2 cup of stock.
  4. Press sauce through a strainer to remove bits of skin (you can skip straining but the sauce won’t be as smooth).
  5. Heat one tablespoon oil in a medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Add sauce to pan and stir, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a slow and steady simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is dark red and thick like a gravy, 20-30 minutes. If too thick, add a little water to thin it out.

If using fresh tortillas: Makes 12 corn tortillas
  • 1 ½ cups masa harina (approx 6 oz)
  • 1 cup hot water
  1. Mix the masa harina into the water. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead gently just until a dough is formed. Add more water or more flour as needed. The dough should be very soft. Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  2. Divide the dough into 12 pieces.  
  3. Test the consistency of the dough with one piece. Flatten it into a small round disc and, using tortilla press, flatten as thin as possible. Make sure that the tortilla is not dry and crackly around the edges.  If it is, combine all of the pieces of dough and add a little water to make a softer dough. 
  4. When the dough is at the right consistency continue shaping the tortillas while cooking those that have been shaped. For enchiladas the tortillas may need to be rolled thinner with a rolling pin while still in plastic. 
  5. Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Place the tortilla on the griddle and cook for 10- 15 seconds.  
  6. Flip it over and cook for about 45 seconds.
  7. Flip it one more time on the hot griddle and cook another 45 seconds until both sides of the tortilla are speckled brown and cooked through. 
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For enchiladas
8-10 Tortillas
  • 6 ozs shredded Mexican melting cheese (like Chihuahua, quesadilla or asadero) or Monterey Jack, brick or mild cheddar
  • ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbl Cilantro, chopped

  1. Preheat oven to 425F.
  2.  Mix the cheese with onions and cilantro. Set aside.
  3. Lay out the tortillas on a baking sheet and spray or brush lightly on both sides with oil. Heat a saute pan over medium heat and fry the tortillas just long enough to make them soft and pliable, a few seconds per side. Stack them in a single pile; cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm.
  4. Taste the sauce, add the sugar, and adjust seasoning. Stir in additional broth if the sauce has thickened beyond the consistency of light cream soup. Spread about ½ cup sauce over the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish.
  5. Working 1 tortilla at a time, dip fried tortilla into sauce, then transfer to a plate. Arrange a handful of cheese and onion mixture in a line along center of tortilla, then roll up. Set rolled tortilla, seam-side down, in a 9-by-11-inch baking pan and repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese, and onion. Ladle the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese.
  6. Bake 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is starting to brown.