Mole Enchiladas with Arugula, Potatoes and Carrots

Day of the Dead Altar

For the last few autumns, to celebrate the Day of the Dead, I’ve been traveling to Oaxaca Mexico, at the same time many Mexican families gather for the November 2 holiday honoring their deceased ancestors, relatives and friends. It is not at all a morbid celebration, but an all-night party, with huge feasts of tamales and chocolate and flowers and incense and tequila and more, including the 7 traditional moles of Oaxaca. I am not giving you a recipe for mole here, only recommending that you use it as the sauce for this casserole of stacked tortillas and vegetables. In fact, I suggest you purchase a jar of good quality mole (Dona Maria is easy to find) and use it as a base for your sauce. The jar says mix 1 part mole to 4 parts water. Substitute V-8 juice or tomato juice for some of the water. Heat this red mole, whisking until smooth, adding a scant tablespoon of almond or peanut butter.

3 cups chopped potatoes (1/2-inch dice)

1 cup chopped carrots (1/2-inch dice)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch arugula, stems removed and discarded, leaves coarsely chopped

12 to 15 corn tortillas

1 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese

Real Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 to 5 cups red mole sauce or enchilada sauce

½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Steam the potatoes and carrots separately until they are just tender to the bite, but not soft, about 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook and stir the onions until they are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook and stir another minute or so. Stir in the potatoes and carrots and the arugula. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush some oil in a deep casserole dish. Put about ¼ cup of sauce in the bottom.

Lay a tortilla down, sprinkle a little of the vegetable mixture on top and then about a tablespoon of the cotija cheese. Spread with a few tablespoons of sauce. Lay down another tortilla, follow with vegetables and cheese and sauce, continuing this stacking and layering until you are out of filling. End with a tortilla dipped in the sauce. Sprinkle with the Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake until the sauce begins to bubble around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.

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Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

Mexican cooks fry their tortillas in oil to make them pliable and so they don’t easily absorb the sauce. This spray and bake technique is a reduced fat way of getting a similar result. Green enchilada sauce marries well with the filling and but is generally more picante than the milder red sauce.

1 bunch fresh spinach

2 tablespoons oil, olive, canola or peanut

1 medium onion, diced in 1/4-inch pieces

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno chile, seeds removed, minced

¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried or 2 tablespoons fresh minced oregano

1 ½ cups (one 15-ounce can, drained) black beans

1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar

Salt

12 corn tortillas

Cooking spray, purchased or from your oil “misto”

8 ounces grated Monterey jack cheese

2 cups enchilada sauce, green or red, purchased or homemade

Wash the spinach well, then chop coarsely into 1-inch strips. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir and cook the onion, garlic and chile, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the spinach, adding a portion at a time, letting it wilt  between additions, until all of the spinach has wilted. Add the cilantro and the oregano; cook and stir a few more minutes. Stir in the black beans. Season with balsamic vinegar and plenty of salt.

Pre-heat oven to 350° F.. Place tortillas on baking sheets, 6 tortillas to a pan. Lightly spray both sides of the tortillas with oil. Bake about 5 minutes, until pliable.

Spread a small amount of oil in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the spinach and bean mixture in a row in the bottom half of a tortilla. Sprinkle about the same amount of cheese on top. Roll the tortilla around the filling and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. You can cover the pan at this point and refrigerate overnight.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas, making sure to cover the ends. Sprinkle with more cheese, if you wish. Cover and bake until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 2 to 6 servings, depending on who is eating and what else you are serving with the enchiladas.

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Green Enchiladas

Do you have perfectly fresh cilantro because it’s preserved in water in a jar in your fridge? This recipe will use it all of it.

1 bunch spinach

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced in 1/4-inch pieces

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno chile, seeds removed, minced (optional)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar

Salt

12 corn tortillas

6 to 8 ounces grated Monterey jack cheese **Use pepper jack or habanero cheddar instead, creating “picante” or spicy heat without the actual green chile

2 to 3 cups Green Sauce, purchased or homemade

Wash the spinach well. Cut the leaves away from the stems, discarding the stems, and chop the leaves into 1-inch strips. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir and cook the onion, garlic and chile, if using, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the spinach leaves, continuing to cook and stir until the leaves are wilted and shrunk. Add the cilantro. Season with vinegar and salt.

Lightly oil in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Spread about 1/2 cup of Green Sauce in the bottom. Pre-heat oven to 350°. Place tortillas on baking sheets, 4 to 6 tortillas to a pan. Lightly brush or spray both sides of the tortillas with oil. Bake about 5 minutes, until pliable.

Spread a heaping tablespoon of the spinach mixture in a row in a tortilla. Sprinkle about the same amount of cheese on top. Roll the tortilla around the filling and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. You can cover the pan at this point and refrigerate overnight.

Pour Green Sauce over the rolled tortillas, making sure to cover the ends. Sprinkle with more cheese, if you wish. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Makes 2 to 6 servings, depending on who is eating and what else you are serving with the enchiladas. ** Mexican cooks fry their tortillas in oil to make them pliable and so they don’t absorb the sauce. I prefer this over-warming method for more ease, less mess and ultimately less calories.

Homemade Green Sauce

1 (26-ounce) can whole tomatillos, drained

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

2 serrano or 1 jalapeno chile, seeds removed, cut into pieces, optional

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whir the tomatillos, onion, garlic, cilantro, chile, if using, and salt in a blender until smooth. Heat the oil in a skillet and add the sauce, cooking for about 5 minutes. ** If you prefer mild enchiladas, put no or very little chile in the green sauce.

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