ISSUE #28: Santa Fe School of Cooking’s Green Chile Enchiladas

Often when we travel, we are looking for ways to literally spice things up and get acquainted with the local cuisine! There’s often no better way to do that then to find a local cooking school and learn some of the regional dishes. Often one of the best souvenirs of a trip is to come home with recipes that help us re-live our time away.

On a visit to Santa Fe, NM we found the Santa Fe School of Cooking is an internationally acclaimed, recreational culinary school specializing in foods of the American Southwest for over 31 years. The school hosts a myriad of fun and educational hands-on cooking classes, demonstrations and restaurant walking tours.

Green Chile Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

3 cups green chile sauce (see recipe below)
16 fresh corn tortillas, about 4 inches in diameter (see recipe)
4 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 1/2 pounds Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups diced onion, or sliced scallions with green tops
2 cups shredded iceberg or romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups diced tomato
1 1/4 cups sour cream
Serves 10

Preheat the oven to 350°. Oil a 9×12 baking dish or pan.

Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the dish and layer half of the tortillas evenly over the sauce. Top the tortillas with 1/2 of the chicken and 1/3 of the cheese and sprinkle with half the onion (for milder onion flavor, use scallions). Repeat for second layer and top with the last cup of sauce and the remaining cheese. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

To serve, spoon portions onto dinner plates, garnish with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and top with 2 tablespoons sour cream. Serve with pinto beans and posole.

Green Chile Sauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic, to taste
1 to 2 Tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups roasted chile, preferably from New Mexico (see tip below)
1/3 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seed to taste
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
Salt to taste
Makes about 2 ½ cups

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Stir in the flour. Add the green chiles and coriander and slowly stir in the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Tip: Need New Mexico Green Chile? The Santa Fe Cooking School’s website offers numerous options – and they ship!