Guanajuato’s “Miner” Enchiladas

I remember my very first time at Guanajuato, Mexico. The image of all of its narrow streets, long hills and slopes, the music, the artists in the streets, the Juarez theater — and of course the food. Who can forget the “miner” enchiladas, which are named because Guanajuato is a mining city.

The tangy and spicy sauce is the perfect complement to the creamy and salty queso fresco, and so are the crunchy vegetables on top. My mouth is watering just thinking about them, so I encourage you to try these for your next lunch or dinner!

Yields: 6 portions

Preparation Time: 40 min.

Cooking Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:

• 24 corn tortillas
•  lard or corn/canola oil to fry tortillas

For the Salsa:

• 15 guajillo chiles (stems and seeds removed)
• 1/2 tbsp dry mexican oregano
• 1 pinch of cumin
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 of white onion, chopped
• 3 plum tomatoes, roasted
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

 For the Filling:

• 1 lb of queso fresco
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (optional)
• 1 onion chopped

 For the Toppings:

•  Jalapeño chiles in pickling juice
• 1 lb of cooked potatoes, diced
• 1 lb of cooked carrots, diced
• 4 oz of queso ranchero crumbs (or any creamy cheese like whole milk feta)
• 1 romain lettuce, julienned

Directions:

For the Sauce:

Hydrate the guajillos chiles in hot water for about 20 minutes. Blend the roasted tomatoes, white onion and garlic, along with the chiles and some of the soaking water until smooth. Add more water to reach the consistency of a sauce. Strain for a smoother sauce.

On a medium size pan, over medium high heat, put a tbsp of oil and cook the salsa, until it changes its color and its darker, about 5-10 minutes. Reserve.

For the Tortillas and Filling:

In another pan, over medium-high heat, put ½ inch of oil and soak each tortilla for about 10-12 seconds, not frying, only soaking, and reserve them over paper towels. Then, soak each tortilla into the salsa, put iton a plate and fill it with queso fresco and chopped onions. I like to put some shredded chicken too, but original miner enchiladas only have cheese and onion filling. Fold the enchiladas in half and arrange them on the plate.

For the Toppings:

Use some of the oil from the tortillas to lightly fry the potatoes and carrots, until lightly browned. Transfer to paper towels.

Assemble the Enchiladas:

Finally, cover the enchiladas with the julienned lettuce, diced and hot potatoes and carrots, crumbled queso ranchero (or feta if you don’t find ranchero) and sliced jalapeño chiles. The combination of colors and flavors will surprise you, they are delicious!!