Eva's Kitchen - Eva Longoria Parker [24]
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
Kosher salt to taste
About 50 corn tortillas
2 whole (4 individual) bone-in chicken breasts (about 3 pounds total), cooked and shredded
2 cups vegetable oil or as needed, for frying
½ cup Mexican sour cream (crema Mexicana) or crème fraîche, for serving
1½ cups grated or crumbled queso fresco (about 6 ounces), for serving
Special equipment: 50 wooden toothpicks
1. In a blender, place the drained tomatillos and avocado. Blend until very well pureed. Add salt to taste and set aside.
2. Wrap about 10 tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and heat for 2 minutes in the microwave; this will make them soft for rolling into flautas. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the chicken in a straight line just below the center of the tortilla. Starting at the side closest to you, roll the tortilla into a tight cylinder and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken.
3. Line a baking sheet or platter with paper towels. In a large skillet, pour the oil to about ½ inch and heat to about 365°F. over medium heat. Place several flautas in the oil and fry until golden brown on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn over and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to remove the flautas from the oil, making sure to turn them straight up to let the oil run out of the cylinder. Transfer to the paper towel–lined pan to drain. Continue until all the flautas are fried. Remove and discard the toothpicks.
4. Arrange the fried flautas on a serving platter. Pour over some of the reserved green sauce; transfer the rest to a gravy boat to pass at the table. Drizzle with the sour cream (if using crème fraîche, stir it first if it’s very stiff) and sprinkle over queso fresco. Serve.
enchiladas rojas (red enchiladas)
When I was growing up, enchiladas were a family affair. On enchilada night, my sisters and I knew we would be called upon to take our positions alongside our mom in the kitchen: one sister fried the tortillas, another dipped them in the sauce, another (usually me) stuffed them, and the last rolled and transferred them to the pan. I can never think about enchiladas without remembering all those happy times in the kitchen.
Not everyone in the house loved onions as much as my dad did, so Mom had us add the onions to only half of the enchiladas. She’d stick a toothpick in the pan with the onions to mark it, and everyone could sit down to enjoy the same meal.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
10 medium tomatoes, quartered
10 dried ancho chiles
8 garlic cloves
1 cup broth from cooked chicken, or store-bought
1¼ cups vegetable oil or as needed
Kosher salt to taste
About 48 corn tortillas
1 4-pound whole chicken, poached and shredded
1 yellow onion, finely chopped (optional)
3 cups grated or crumbled queso fresco (about 12 ounces) or shredded Mexican Cheese
Mexican Rice, for serving
Refried Beans, for serving
1. For the sauce: Place the tomatoes and chiles in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook gently until the chiles are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and remove the stems from the chiles. Working in batches if necessary, place the tomatoes, chiles, garlic, and chicken broth in the work bowl of a food processor. Process until well pureed.
2. In a large skillet, heat ¼ cup of the oil over medium heat until shimmery and hot but not smoking. Add the sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat. Set aside until cool.
3. For the enchiladas: Line a baking sheet or platter with paper towels. In a small skillet, heat 1 cup of oil until shimmery and hot but not smoking. Lightly fry the tortillas one at a time just until softened, 5 to 10 seconds per side. Transfer to the paper towel–lined pan to drain.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat one or two baking dishes with cooking spray.
5. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip a tortilla in the red sauce, lightly soaking both sides completely. Place the tortilla in a baking dish and arrange about 1 tablespoon of chicken in a line just above the center