Green Enchilada Sauce

I can't believe I haven't talked about making green enchilada sauce yet! Every year, we grow tomatillos to make and freeze into this sauce. In the late spring, my husband and I negotiate how many plants to grow. I always propose 'LOTS' but my husband, ever the voice of reason, manages to convince me to exercise a bit of restraint -last year I think we bought four plants.

It doesn't matter how few plants we grow, we always end up with a bumper crop of tomatillos. And the next season, volunteer plants will continually be popping up all over in the area where the tomatillos were grown the year before. I make green sauce in late summer and early fall to freeze in 1 quart containers that we use all year round. I love it's bright, citrusy flavor that's especially welcome now, when it's still several months before we can expect any fresh produce from our garden. March can be particularly dreary, garden-food-wise as well as otherwise, and this green sauce is an uplifting reminder of the green and growing garden flavors of spring and summer.

Green Enchilada Sauce

In a large pot, place:

2 quarts peeled and washed tomatillos

4 quarts water

Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

In two or three batches, put in blender with 3 c. cooking liquid and:

3 garlic cloves

1 1/2 c. cilantro leaves

1 onion, diced

Puree until smooth. Heat 2 T. oil in heavy-bottomed pot and add puree. Add 1/4 -1/2 t. salt and 1 t. sugar. Simmer 5 minutes.

Unlike when canning it, sauces that are frozen do not have to be exact. I don't really measure this when I'm making it, and sometimes I make huge batches and sometimes just a quart of it. Speaking of canning sauces, I was so excited to see this recipe, which can be made during canning's off-season, for making and canning red enchilada sauce (click here). Now, thanks to dandelion at Knit & Nosh (Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you!!!), I can make and store both green AND red enchilada sauces. How cool is that?

I mostly use my Green Enchilada Sauce to make enchiladas like these (click here), but it is also great in soups, and this amazing burrito filling (click here) with pork, black beans and rice.

Date-Pecan Granola and Green Enchiladas

The pollen from the sheep-belly-high orchard grass is making me miserable with allergies. Instead of doing the hundreds of things outside yesterday that I should have been doing, I stayed inside, as much as possible, with the windows closed and cooked.



I was motivated to make granola by my daughter who keeps checking the empty crock where I usually keep it. It's really easy, so there's no excuse why I haven't made any for awhile. I vary the fruit and nuts in this recipe -dried blueberries and filberts, dried cherries and almonds, and raisins and walnuts, are favorites. This time I made a new variation, Date-Pecan Granola, that is particularly good. The recipe is adapted from the Andy Fairfield Granola recipe in Nigella Lawson's cookbook Feasts. This really is the best homemade granola you'll ever eat. If you don't have a large roasting pan, mix it all in a bowl and then divide between two smaller ones -or halve the recipe.

Date-Pecan Granola
Mix in a really large roasting pan:
5 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (thick like Bob's Red Mill)
1 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
3/4 c. applesauce
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 c. honey
1/3 c. Lyle's Golden Syrup (or all honey, if not available)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 - 2 c. pecans
1/2 - 1 t. salt
2 T. canola oil
Bake 325 for 10 minutes. Stir and repeat until golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Cool and add 1-2 c. (8 oz. package) chopped dates. Store in closed containers.



Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie. For the recipe, click on my Saveur link and use their 'Search Recipes and More' box.



Making enchiladas involves frying each tortilla and then immediately coating it in the sauce -and then you fill and roll each one. These are time consuming steps, but worth it. My sister-in-law Angela's mother, born and raised in Mexico, says traditionally they are first dipped in the sauce and then fried, but this results in such spattering and sputtering that the reverse process is preferred. I used purchased green enchilada sauce here, but prefer to use my green sauce that I make and freeze in the late summer when the tomatillos and cilantro are profuse. We ate all I froze last year so I will try and freeze more of it this year.



Green Enchiladas
Have everything ready for filling and rolling before you start frying the tortillas.
Pressure cook 1 pieced rabbit (or chicken) for 9 minutes, quick release pressure and cool. Debone and shred meat onto a plate.
Grate 4-6 oz. Pepper-Jack (or Monterey Jack, Co-Jack or Cheddar) Cheese
Dice 1/2 onion
Open small can Diced, Roasted Chilies
Open 28 oz can (or defrost quart frozen) Green Enchilada Sauce and place in large bowl.

Heat 1-2 inches oil for frying tortillas. Fry tortillas one at a time 1 minute, or until softened but not crisp, turning once. Immediately remove from oil and immerse in green sauce. Remove to a plate and continue until all are done, 14-20 tortillas for a 9 x 13 inch Pyrex baking dish and 5-6 servings.
As soon as all tortillas are fried, begin layering and rolling. The tortillas will begin to fall apart if left to sit too long. If you double or triple recipe for a large crowd, recruit someone to help you -one person frying and one person rolling. Making enchiladas results in a lot of dirty plates, even before anyone starts eating. On a small plate, place one tortilla and layer down the center:
1-2 T. grated cheese
1-2 T. shredded meat
1/2 T. diced onion
1 t. diced, roasted chilies
Fold two sides over filling and place seam side down in baking dish. Continue until all are filled, making two layers in dish. Except for cheese, scatter any remaining filling ingredients over top layer. Pour over casserole any remaining green sauce, and then sprinkle top with remaining grated cheese and 1/4 c. grated Parmesan, if desired. Cover with foil, folding back along one long side of the dish to leave a 1-inch vent opening. Bake 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Serve with sour cream, refried beans, and a seasonal vegetable of choice on the side.