Enpasilladas de coliflor asada (Pasilla Enchiladas Stuffed with Roasted Cauliflower)

Stricktly speaking (although there is nothing strict about Mexican cooking), an enchilada is basically an old tortilla that has been fried a bit in oil (to make it edible), dipped in a tomato sauce, rolled around meat or chicken, then covered with more sauce and baked. The redness of the tomato makes them enchiladas rojas (red), and if you use a tomatillo sauce, then they are enchildas verdes (green) or more commonly, enchiladas suizas (Swiss, in which case they are supposed to be topped with a semi-soft cheese and is finished au gratin, but there are no fixed rules). If the sauce is made of beans (frijoles), then they are called enfrijoladas.

Many years ago, when I bought my copy of Diana Kennedy's "The Cuisines of Mexico," I came across an amazing recipe for crêpes using pasilla chiles. It is so good, that I have made it several times, and everyone who has tried them has been wowed. The earthiness of the pasilla chiles are balanced by the smoothness of the cream. As these enchildadas are made with a pasilla chile sauce, they properly can be called "enpasilladas".

This recipe takes some elements from the original version for a low sodium diet. (However, this dish is so rich, "diet" is the wrong word!, but it is definitely worth it.)

Ingredients

12 stale tortillas

3 tbsp safflower or canola oil, and as needed

6 pasilla chiles

1 cup beef broth

3 tbsp crème fraîche (you can substitute it for sour cream)

2 cups of flour

2 cups of milk

2 tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups roasted cauliflower heads, chopped

2 cups grated cheese (you can use any cheese like muenster, mozzarella, white cheddar or Monterey Jack. If you want to be really traditional, use cotija cheese and see note.)

Heat the oven to 350° F.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the tortillas for a few seconds each side. They should puff up at least a bit, especially on the second side. Let the oil drip off the tortillas while you prepare the rest of the dish. I drape them over a colander with a dish on the bottom to catch the oil. You can also put them over paper towels over a dish.

On a hot griddle, toast the pasilla chiles on both sides until they are fragrant and pliable. You don't want to burn them, as that will give the sauce bitter taste. Take the chiles off the heat. Once they are cool enough to handle (and you have to be quick, because they will turn brittle again), cut open all the chiles through their length and open them up butterfly style. Then, remove the seeds and the veins, but reserve about 2 tablespoons of the seeds. On the same griddle, toast the seeds until they are again fragrant and have darkened slightly. Grind them to a fine powder with a spice or coffee grinder.

Put a bit of the stock (about 1/2 cup) in a blender jar, crumble the pasilla chiles and add them to the blender jar. Blend until they are as smooth as possible. Add the rest of the stock and the cream and blend until well mixed.

Pour the milk in a saucepan over medium heat and let it heat, but don't let it boil. In the meantime, in another saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter starts foaming, add the minced garlic and let the garlic cook for a few minutes. Then, add the flour, mixing it very well with the butter. Once the fflour is a nice golden color, take the pan off the heat, add the hot milk, and beat the sauce with a metal whisk until the mixture is smooth. Return it to the heat, moving constantly, until the sauce thickens a bit. You want it thinner than regular white sauce. Add the pasilla purée and pasilla seed powser and mix well.

One by one, hold a tortilla, spread a thin layer of the pasilla sauce over it, add a bit of the chopped cauliflower, then roll the tortilla around the cauliflower. Do this for each tortilla, then place the tortillas in an oven pan. Cover the tortillas with the rest of the sauce, making sure it goes between each tortilla and the tortillas are fully covered. Spread the cheese over the enchiladas.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Let them cool off a bit and serve them immediately.

Notes

If you use cotija cheese, which is somewhat similar to feta, crumble it and added to the enchiladas after taking them out of the oven.

You can buy pasilla chiles and cotija cheese at La Tortilleria.

Because the recipe was made for a low sodium diet, it contains no added salt. If you're not used to low sidium, the sauce will definitely taste like it needs more salt. (The cheese will add some saltiness, depending on the cheese you use, but it might not be enough.) You might want to add some salt, but know that after a couple bites, you won't notice a difference anymore.

You can, of course, use other vegetables for the filling, or even add some meat. I think because of the richness, chicken would be better than beef or pork, although the original recipe used cooked shrimp. The roasted cauliflowers gave the dish a hearty but not exactly firm texture that went very well, and the flavors combine rather nicely.

For the photo, I sprinkled the enchiladas with some of the toasted pasilla chile seeds.