Veal Enchilada Casserole

We love all types of Mexican food and enchiladas are close to the top of my list of foods that remind me of my hometown, El Paso, TX.  The only thing that might rank higher would be chile rellenos (stuffed chiles) and I hope to post that recipe in a future post.  This version is for ground veal but you can easily just substitute the ground veal with shredded chicken from making chicken stock.  There are two main components to this dish that need to be prepared – the chile sauce and the meat.  I will list those separately.

Ingredients (for chile sauce):

• roasted chiles – any kind will do – about 10-15 chiles
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• salt to taste

Ingredients (for the meat):

• 1 lb. ground veal (or beef – we just happen to have a lot of veal around here since we bought a side of veal)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (or beef stock if you have it)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Other ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded raw cheese (colby or jack or any mild creamy cheese)
• 6-9 corn tortillas (organic/non-GMO – we like a local brand – Margarita’s)

Directions (for the chile sauce):

Roast chiles until the are soft and the skin is blackened.  Cut off chile stems and leave the seeds and membranes if you like it spicy otherwise you can remove them too.  Blend all ingredients in a blender.  Move sauce to a sauce pot and cook on medium low until thickened.

Directions (for the meat):

Saute onions until soft – about 5 minutes.  Add ground veal and saute until dry and crumbly.  Add garlic, tomatoes and chicken stock and salt to taste and saute until thickened and most of the juices have evaporated.

Assembly:

Submerge each corn tortilla in the chile sauce (which is warm on the stove).  Layer the bottom of a pyrex casserole dish with half of the tortillas.  Spread the veal mixture on top of the first layer of corn tortillas and about 1/4 of the cheese.  Repeat with another layer and then finish it off with a final layer of tortillas.  At this point you can stop and freeze to make at a later date or you can continue by adding the chile sauce and a bit more cheese – leaving some cheese left to serve raw with the casserole.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 min until bubbly and hot.  Serve with black beans, rice and lots of guacamole and raw shredded cheese and even some Creme Fraiche.

Photo credit: Sirsnapsalot, on flickr