Real World Wednesday - Frito Pie

I know what you're thinking, but this isn't your idea of frito pie. New Mexican frito pie uses real red chile, not Texas chili. This is so delicious, in my family it is a staple party food. It goes a long way and is a definite crowd pleaser, so give it a try! Halve or quarter the recipe if you are making this for a small family. There are variations at the bottom of the recipe that make the recipe a bit easier.

Ingredients

1 lb beans, prepared according to package directions

12 dried red chile pods, rinsed & stems and seeds removed

36 oz water

1/2 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp oregano

2 T flour

1 lb ground beef

1 clove garlic

1/4 c onion, chopped

vegetable oil

1-2 bags frito chips

16 oz cheese, shredded (cheddar, mexican blend, etc)

1 head lettuce, shredded

1-2 tomatoes, diced

Directions

1. Soak chile pods in warm water until soft (~3 minutes). Rinse of remaining seeds, remove veins, and bring to boil in a saucepan of water. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Place the pods in a blender with half of the cooking liquid. Reserve the rest of the liquid. Add salt, garlic, oregano, and flour. Blend until smooth and set aside.

2. Cook onion and garlic in a skillet with vegetable oil until clear. Add ground beef and cook thoroughly. Drain. Place chile back in saucepan with cooked meat and simmer about 10 minutes or until it becomes a tomato sauce consistency. Add water (or reserved chile liquid if using pods) if needed to reach desired consistency. To assemble frito pies, place chips in a bowl and top with beans, chile, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Easier Variation: Instead of preparing chile as in step one, prepare chile using chile powder according to package instruction.

Easiest Variation: Instead of using chile pods or powder, use frozen prepared red chile sauce. If you are not in an area that sells this, stick to the pods or powder. Whatever you do, DO NOT use enchilada sauce. That is not the same at all!

Honey Lemon Enchiladas

I'm generally a purist when it comes to Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (a recipe which I'll have to post sometime soon), but this recipe caught my eye and had me intrigued. This flavor combination is such an interesting combination of savory and sweet, my tastebuds are already itching for tomorrows lunch of leftovers. Philip liked it but said it wasn't his favorite. Michaela didn't touch it, but it is so mild that I think kids who don't have an aversion to gloopy textures would really love the sweet notes in this dish.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons Honey

4 tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 tablespoons Chili Powder

2 tablespoons Garlic Powder

12 oz Chicken, cooked and shredded

1 cup Heavy Cream

1 jar Medium Green Chile Sauce (2 cups)

8 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded

4-5 Flour Tortillas

Directions

Mix honey, lemon juice, chili powder, and garlic powder together. Pour half over chicken and let marinate at least half an hour. Combine the rest of the honey lemon mixture with the cream & jar of green chile sauce. Spread some of the mixture on the bottom of a 8 x 8 casserole dish. Fill each tortilla with some of the meat mixture and shredded cheese, roll like a burrito, and place side by side in the casserole dish. Top with remaining chile mixture and shredded cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Notes

• The recipe this is based off called for lime juice but I didn't have a chance to go to the store. I would love to try it this way some time.
• The chicken I used was just from a pre-cooked rotissere from the grocery store. So convenient!
• I think next time I'll try using homemade green chile sauce instead. Yum!