I've been to quite a few texmex restaurants in Houston/San Antonio and I've always seen the sauce they use for cheese enchiladas is almost like a gravy.... now that I live out of state the only mexican restaurants here use store bought sauce which is tangier then the gravy I prefer. Even Trader Joes sauce even though its good its just not the texmex gravy I crave. Anyone have recipes for a good gravy mix I can use next time Im in the mood for some texmex cheese enchiladas?
lol just a pic I found online. Not Casa Ole's though, Casa Ole's is a light brown. I've been there 50+ times. Was our favorite mexican place other then Sylvia's.
I slightly adapted this recipe I found in Texas Highways a few years back. 4 ancho chilies 1/4 lb ground beef 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons flour 2 teaspoons ground cumin 3/4 cup tomato sauce 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons mexican oregano salt to taste Soak chilies for in very hot water for 20 minutes. Remove from water, slice open and remove seeds and veins Add a cup of fresh water to chilies, and blend mixture in a blender for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth. Add 3 cups water, and blend again for 1 minute. Pour mixture through a strainer into a bowl . Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add ground beef, and cook until browned, stirring constantly. Add flour, and continue cooking and stirring for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add cumin and stir in about 1/2 c. of puréed chilies, allow sauce to thicken, and then gradually stir in remaining purée. Add tomato sauce, bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add mexican oregano and salt to taste and simmer for about 30 minutes. Making enchiladas with canned sauce isn't even worth the effort.
Interesting.... these ancho chilis, are they dried? I think all we have in my neck of the woods are dried chiles that come in a bag.
I swear I've seen the "gravy" enchilada thread here before. And my enchilada vote goes to Last Concert Cafe.
Yeah its hard to find a good enchilada sauce at the grocery store. Most of the time they are so tomato-ey it might as well be marinara sauce. That's not authentic!
I think it's simpler than that. Pureed red chili (Bueno sells it frozen), Mexican oregano, salt, pepper. That's it. Add olive oil or butter to taste.
No offense, but whatever that is, it looks like it'd be pretty bland. Tex-mex enchiladas have chili gravy on 'em and if you want gravy you gotta thicken it with something.
I can personally vouch for this one. This is as close as it gets to replicating a good Tex-Mex plate: Chili Gravy (from Robb Walsh) Ingredients: 1/4 cup lard or vegetable oil 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon powdered garlic 2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 2 tablespoons chili power 2 cups beef broth, chicken broth or water Method: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux. Add the black pepper, salt, powdered garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano and chili powder and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients. Add broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add water to adjust the thickness. Yield: 2 cups Preparation time: 20 minutes Cheese Enchiladas Ingredients: 1/2 cup vegetable oil 8 corn tortillas 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (can make it with Velveeta for extra melting oomph and good ol' Tex-Mex authenticity) 1 medium onion, diced 2 cups chili gravy Method: Preheat the oven to 450 and grease a large baking dish. Pour the oil in a small skillet, and heat the tortillas one at a time. Keep them wrapped in a cloth until all 8 are heated. Pour the oil in a small skillet, and heat the tortillas one at a time. Keep them wrapped in a cloth until all 8 are heated. Pour 1/2 cup of chili gravy in a baking pan. Take a tortilla, put 1/4 cup of cheese and 1 tablespoon of onion in the center and roll it. Place rolled tortilla in baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining tortillas. Take remaining chili gravy, and pour it over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese and onions on top. Bake for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings Preparation time: 20 minutes
