* Enchiladas

There's absolutely NO point in beginning this blog with a cooking disaster - I'd give up before I'd even begun. So... I'll start with one of my more constant successes - a dish that we eat quite regularly, when the boy is at his nan's - my own version of Enchiladas. It's not too spicy, as I like to be able to feel my lips after eating a meal, but it does have enough chilli to give it flavour and bite... and plenty of cheese.

First time I made this, I half heartedly followed a recipe on the internet, that only put the cheese on top of the finished dish before baking it in the oven... second time I made it, I wanted to use up some cheese, so I put it in the filling as well.

Oh.

YUM.

I stuck with the second version.

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Chicken Enchilada Recipe

Serves 4 normal appetites or 3 greedy ones.

Prep and Cooking time - 1hr.

You Will Need
A non stick pan with a lid
A 9inch/23cm square baking dish

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil or 10 sprays Fry Light
• 1 green pepper - chopped
• 1 medium or large onion - chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic - crushed
• 1 fresh green or red chilli (depending on your personal taste - I tend to use whatever I have) - deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 2 14oz/400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 300g cooked chicken - chopped
• 8 corn tortillas
• 200g mature cheddar cheese - grated
• Seasoning

Method
Add the olive oil or fry light to the pan, and heat to a medium temperature. Add the chopped onion and green pepper, soften for five minutes. Add the garlic, chilli pepper and basil (I find adding dried herbs at this stage - rather than with the tomatoes - releases the flavour more), cook for another couple of minutes and then add the two tins of chopped tomatoes. Bring to a steady simmer, stick the lid on and leave to cook for 20 - 30 minutes, to let the flavours combine. When cooked, check the seasoning. Season to your personal taste. I tend to leave the salt out of dishes that have strong cheeses in them. Personal preference.

If the tomato sauce seems too thick, swish one of the cans out with water and add a little of it, at a time, until it's reached a semi thick consistency. You don't want it too sloppy. I don't like mine sloppy at all. I've tried the whole enchilada sauce from a jar thing. I don't like it.

Heat your oven to 190c/fan 160c/gas 4 - 5, unless you are preparing this ahead.

In a bowl, combine the chopped chicken, between a third and a half of the tomato sauce, and half of the grated cheese. Mix well.

Spoon a very thin layer of the remaining tomato sauce into your baking dish, to prevent the enchiladas from sticking.

Place the tortillas on a microwaveable plate and nuke for 1 minute, to make them more malleable.

Spoon your tomato, chicken and cheese filling in a line across the centre of each tortilla, roll into a cylinder and place in a row in your baking dish on top of the thin layer of tomato sauce. When all 8 tortillas are in the baking dish (squeeze them in as best you can), pour the remaining tomato sauce over the top, covering the enchiladas as best you can.

(This is the stage where you can cover the dish, and put it in the fridge for later. When you cook it, cover it with foil and add an additional 20 - 25 minutes to the cooking time. After the first 15 minutes, remove from the oven and add the cheese, then bake uncovered for the last 10 minutes.)

Sprinkle with the last 100g of grated cheese... this is usually where I decide I want more cheese and bake, uncovered in your oven for 10 - 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and melted. Serve immediately with salad or a side of your choice... or nothing.

Well, for a first entry that took longer than I'd expected. It'll have to be chips tonight!