Since I was a girl until my early
twenties I lived in Chihuahua, Mexico. And
every Saturday of all those years, my family and I used to have dinner in my
Aunt Nena´s house, her specialty was Mexican food: Enchiladas, Chile Colorado, Picadillo
(her version of ground beef with potatoes) served with fluffy handmade
tortillas de harina (flour tortillas), Caldillo de res ( Northern version of beef
soup) and Pastel Azteca. Sitting at her table was more
than sharing a meal. It was a rite to share wisdom, laughter and the anecdotes.
Those gatherings shaped my personality, my points of view and my taste for
homemade food. Sadly those times are
gone. My aunt, my grandma and other members of the family are no longer here. I
live far away and have my own family. However those old Saturday nights will
always live inside me and my memories.
When I am yearning to have one of those family dinners back, then I cook
one of the dishes that my smart and witty Aunt Nena would cook. One of her best
dishes was this Pastel Azteca or Aztec
Cake. This meal is made of layers of fried corn tortillas soaked in red
chili sauce, topped with meat, cheese, and sliced green chilies. These
ingredients melt into each other after the “cake” is baked for 30 minutes,
creating an exquisite truly Mexican flavor. I have made some adaptations to the
original recipe, for example I have used chicken instead of beef, added some
spice like the cumin, added corn kennel, and the Mexican cream to garnish. The results are great! It is a tasty, crunchy
and warm dish that brings satisfaction to the palate and the soul.
½ Kg shredded
chicken breast or beef skirt steak (about 1 pound)
2 cups of
enchilada sauce (store bought or home recipe)
½ cup of canola
or vegetable oil, plus 2 tbs. for the sauce
½ kg shredded
Chihuahua (substitute with Muenster)
3 big Poblano
peppers toasted, peeled, shredded
1 cup of white or yellow
corn kernel
½ cup of diced
white onions
1 clove of garlic
Salt, black
pepper and ground cumin for seasoning
Mexican cream
for garnish
GETTING THE LAYERS READY
TORTILLAS -First
warm the oil in a skillet at medium heat for about 5 minutes until it is really
hot. Fry the tortillas one by one, and
set them apart. You can wipe the excess
of oil with a napkin in between each tortilla.
CHILES- In another
skillet or grilling pan roast the Poblano Chiles. This process can be long, since the pepper
has to be charred all over. Once the skin of the chile looks burnt, they are
put inside a plastic bag for about 10 minutes. Once the chiles are removed of
the plastic bag they have sweated and the skin is very easy to peel off. You
can peel then off under running water. I
particularly peel them off first and then wash the remaining skin and seeds
away with the help of the water. In some
Mexican supermarkets you may find the frozen peeled Poblano Chiles, however the
flavor is never the same. When the
chiles are clean you slice them in strips. *The original recipe calls for
Anaheim Chiles, however Poblano are very tasty and easier to find.
CORN -You can
use frozen white or yellow corn kernel or boil the corn and then cut and separate the
kernel.
SAUCE - In a Mexican
supermarket you can buy Enchilada Sauce or prepare the sauce with Chile Ancho
(look for a separate recipe in another post). For this recipe you will have to buy the big
29oz can. In a medium pot warm 2 tbs. of
canola or vegetable oil at medium heat and sauté one clove of garlic. Once the
clove is fried, you have to remove it and then add the content of the can to
the pot. Add a dash of cumin, pepper and
salt. Stir the mix occasionally until it boils. Remove it from the heat.
CHEESE -Grate
the cheese, either Chihuahua or Muenster.
MEAT -Shred 1
kg of cooked chicken breast or beef skirt.
Mix it with the diced onions and season it with a dash of cumin, salt
and pepper.
Once all the
ingredients are in line, divide them in two, except for the chicken which has
to be divided in 3 parts. Soak the
tortillas in the sauce and line them in a rectangular baking pan 11” x 14” like
the one used for lasagna. Place the
first 6 tortillas at the bottom, then on top spread the meat with the onions,
add a layer of the chile strips and corn kernel, and sprinkle the grate cheese
covering the ingredients.
Repeat this
operation one more time. For the last spread of tortillas, don’t add meat, just
the cheese and whatever is left of the enchilada sauce (about ½ cup). Preheat the oven at 35O F and then bake for 25
minutes or until the enchilada sauce has been absorbed and the cheese is
melted. Now is ready to enjoy and melt in the mouth.
