Enchiladas Verdes

MARYSOL ALVARADO, OWNER OF MESTIZO RESTAURANT& TEQUILA BAR IN LONDON, PROVIDES HER EXPERT TAKE ONA CLASSIC MEXICAN DISH – ENCHILADAS VERDES.

Any enchilada makes a wonderful lunch or supper dish, as it can be prepared and served quickly and is packed full of typical Mexican tastes. They come in a variety of sizes, colours and flavours, and are usually distinguished by the sauce with which they are served.

Popular regional takes include con mole, suiza and enfrijoladas, but a firm favourite the world over is enchilada verdes.

The distinctive tomatillos used in the verde salsa make this a stand out enchilada dish and one that can be prepared at home by cooks of all levels.

Shredded chicken breast cooked and wrapped in corn tortillas, and smothered in a traditional green sauce of tomatillo, onion, garlic and serrano chillies decorated with queso fresco ranchero and sour cream, served with rice and beans. This is how we serve the dish at Mestizo, but each family will have slightly different variations, such as adding chopped onion and coriander to the finished meal.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken: 2 chicken breasts

2 cups of chicken broth

1/4 white onion 1 clove garlic 2 teaspoons salt

For the salsa verde: 1 lb of tomatillo 5 serrano chillies ¼ white onion 1 clove garlic Pinch salt Chopped coriander

To serve: 8 corn or flour tortilla Vegetable oil

1 cup of queso fresco ranchero

Sour cream

METHOD

1. In a saucepan, combine the chicken breasts with the chicken broth, a quarter of an onion, a clove of garlic and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to the boil and then boil for 20 minutes. Reserve broth, set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.

2. Place tomatillos and serrano chillies in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Bring to boil and continue boiling until tomatillos turn a different shade of green (from bright green to a dull, army green). Strain tomatillos, chillies, and chopped coriander then place in a blender with another quarter piece of chopped onion, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt. Pour in reserved chicken broth so that liquid just covers the veggies in the blender by about an inch.

3. Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed. Pour salsa in a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil.

4. Pour oil in a frying pan and allow to get very hot. Slightly fry tortillas one by one in hot oil, setting each on a paper towel afterwards to soak up some of the oil. Finally, dip slightly fried tortillas in low-boiling green salsa, until tortillas become soft again. Place on plates, 2 per person.

5. Fill the tortillas with shredded chicken, and roll them up. Add extra green sauce over the dish. Top with crumbled queso fresco ranchero, cheese and sour cream.

6. Serve with rice and Mexican beans.

Mestizo Restaurant & Tequila Bar is located in London and Madrid. Go to www.mestizomx.com to found out more.