Hola folks.
Welcome, welcome.
Come on in and grab a seat. Cold beers in the fridge if you’re interested. Glad to have everyone back for episode 2 of Season 8 of Sunday Gravy.
Now that we’re here in the middle of the deep, dark offseason, I’m here to help in the best way I know how.
With delicious, delicious food.
Of all of the cool things about being a resident of Southern California – and there are many of those things – one of the very best parts is our access to fresh produce that is readily available year-round.
The idea for this very episode of Sunday Gravy came about by visiting the produce section of my local grocery store.
I mean look at this stuff!
Every one of those beauties will play a role in the construction of todays menu.
I mentioned last week about doing more “freestyle” cooking recently and this meal is another example of how that works.
I wanted to freestyle for you a truly close to authentic version of chicken enchiladas and a pot of black beans.
Obviously we’ve made enchiladas about 75 or so times in the past including a “made from scratch” version where we made the red enchilada sauce from scratch but this one is a bit different since you won’t be seeing any shortcuts. That produce up there will become the sauce as well as being crucial ingredients in our side dish and they will also be used in the cooking of our protein.
Not a single fucking can in sight!
And by the way?
Yep. We’re making the tortillas from scratch too.
Last week I mentioned increasing the number of “repetitions” in the kitchen and the tortillas are a perfect example of what I mean.
The first time or two making them was nerve-wracking and a textbook study in inconsistency.
All of the senses come into play in the kitchen and of course sight and smell take precedence. Don’t sell the sense of “touch” short however. You know how last year we had fresh bread almost constantly? That’s because I developed the sense of “feel” for the perfect bread dough texture. It has a little tackiness but nothing too sticky. It should be slightly dense but pliable. The same can be said about the tortilla dough. Too dry and that shit falls the fuck apart. Too wet and it sticks to the tortilla press and you’ll never be able to press it properly.
It’s not easy but it’s not hard either once you figure it out. The only way you can perfect it is to just keep making the motherfuckers over and over until they becomes second nature.
All doughs are based on this concept. Sure it looks easy when professionals do it because it is easy when you’ve made it a million-billion fucking times.
There are no shortcuts here. Sorry to say. Shit is earned.
Anyway.
I’m going to cook the protein – chicken today – a day in advance. This will give us a break on serving day and will also give us a free bonus item.
Going to get a free kick-ass batch of chicken stock too. Nice!
Chicken for Enchiladas and homemade chicken stock!
Nothing too crazy with the chicken prep. We want the rest of the enchilada ingredients to play lead today.
We’re using legs and thighs, both bone-in today for maximum chickeny goodness. One package of 4 thighs and 1 package of five legs.
Going to simmer the chicken in a pot of water with some of the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, as seen above plus a bit of the red bell pepper along with some salt, pepper, fresh rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid slightly askew, lower the heat to low and start simmering.
Remove the chicken after about 45 minutes. Let the chicken cool then remove the meat and skin from the chicken and return the skin and bones to the pot. Continue to cook the stock for a total cook time of about 2-3 hours.
While the chicken does its chickeny thing let’s address the sauce ingredients.
Tomatillos, poblano pepper, jalapenos, serranos and onion. We can make the enchilada sauce a day in advance as well. Even better when it has a chance to get the flavors mingled during an overnight rest.
Preheat the oven to 425, baste the veggies with olive oil and roast 20 minutes per side turning after the first 20 minutes.
Be forewarned that the veggies will release some of their juices during the cooking process so feel free to use a baking sheet with a raised edge to counteract.
All told it’s about 10 tomatillos, cut in half, 1 poblano (pasilla works too or even Anaheim) 3-4 jalapenos and 3-4 serranos depending on your heat tolerance, one onion cut in half then roasted along with 5-6 garlic cloves added directly to the blender along with the roasted veggies.
Please note; that half of a red bell pepper will NOT be going in the enchilada sauce! It will be getting cooked along with our side dish of black beans after it’s been roasted and peeled.
Once we’ve roasted the little bastards let’s get them into a blender.
While blending, add enough chicken stock – see there? to make a nice rich chile verde sauce. You may need up to a cup of stock to reach the right consistency.
Which yields…
Obviously this can be made a day or two before serving. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day is when we get our ass busy with the meal construction.
Next day get started by cooking your black beans.
That’s half a bag – or one cup – of cleaned and sorted black beans, 4 cups of water, 2 teaspoons of chili powder, one teaspoon of cumin, a small onion – diced, some minced garlic and our fire-roasted red pepper. These will require 2 hours or so on a low simmer.
So much goddamn mincing!
Since we’re going all-out fucking gonzo cooking from scratch today, well why the hell not? Let’s make some corn tortillas.
Yes indeed we are.
Before getting started with the tortillas let’s take a quick peak at the beans and see how they are getting along.
Coming along nicely.
To the masa dough we go. The instructions are on the bag but it’s a cup of the masa harina and almost a cup of water with just a pinch of salt.
See there? That’s real nice. Sticks together but not too wet. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes before we make with the whole goddamn tortilla pressing thing.
Cut a couple of sheets of parchment paper. Big enough to fit over the tortilla press.
Grab a little wad of the dough and set it on the parchment paper on the press.
Place the 2nd sheet of parchment over the dough and gently press.
Then into a lightly oiled heated skillet they go for a minute or so per side.
Non-stick cookware is fine but cast iron works great too.
The tortilla process works best when you press, then cook and while the tortilla is cooking press out the next tortilla. Repeat the steps until all of the tortillas are finished. Keep them covered with a clean kitchen towel after they’ve all been cooked.
Time to assemble the enchiladas.
Collect your cooking vessel, give it your lube of choice and add some of our green sauce.
If the sauce still looks too thick the next day just add some more chicken stock and thin it to your desired consistency.
We are going to be making what New Mexico residents call “stacked” enchiladas.
What the homemade tortillas lack in pliability they more than make up with structural integrity.
Spread a layer of the tortillas evenly over the sauce.
Next add some of our cooked chicken and a good dollop more of the sauce. Spread out evenly.
Another layer of tortilla and then cover the entire dish with the remaining sauce.
Cheese up the entire shindig.
Into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until you achieve this result.
Let these cool down a bit before service. The beans should be about ready.
There we are.
Now plate.
Let’s zoom in a bit on the beans.
Now the enchiladas.
Oh my.
You regular readers may have noticed that I used a slightly different recipe for the black beans today. Using a fire roasted red bell pepper rather than my usual dried chile de arbol pods. No real reason apart from the red pepper just looking so fucking gorgeous in the produce section at the store. The taste difference was one with obviously less heat but with a roasted “fruitiness” from the pepper. If you’re not into the heat that the arbol chilies bring this may work better for you.
The beans were fucking balls-on today. They also played along super nicely with the enchiladas.
Now about them enchiladas.
These motherfuckers will be unlike any enchilada most of you have encountered in the wild.
The sauce is bright, tangy, acidic with that overall punch of fresh “green” that you only get from using fresh produce. The heat can be adjusted by removing or not removing the seeds from the jalapenos and serranos after they’ve been roasted. Of fucking course I left most of the seeds in.
The texture that the homemade tortillas bring to the proceedings is fucking ridiculous. If you’ve used the store bought corn tortillas in the past you’ve probably had the damn things basically disintegrate during the cooking process leaving behind a corn flavored essence rather than the tortilla itself.
We did NOT encounter that issue today.
Hard to say who takes the front row with this dish. You get masa right in your goddamn face but it’s counter-balanced by the brightness and the power of the green sauce. The chicken is there simply as a protein and it handles its role quite astutely doing just that. The cheese is there for its salt mostly and to hold everything together.
This overall dish was fantastic.
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that some slow-roasted carnitas would be a nice addition instead of the chicken but that’s your call.
This shit is worth the 2 day effort.
Trust me on this.
Well, hell folks. Looks like we’re done here for the day.
Now that you’ve been effectively forced into inescapable gnawing hunger the rest of the day is yours to do as you see fit.
Totally understandable if you pay a visit to your favorite local Mexican restaurant. Hopefully I inspired you to do that if nothing else.
Enjoy what’s left of your weekend everyone.
We will be back right here again next week.
I look forward to it.
Be safe out there and keep warm.
See you next Sunday.
PEACE!
Been cruising the YoobToob for folks that do meatless recipes but aren’t screaming from the mountaintop that they’re a Vegetarian. It’s been a hard go. Today I made a super simple fried cabbage, onion, carrot, cheese and egg thingy. I soaked the cabbage in a water/vinegar solution so that the dish had a bit of zing. It didn’t suck and there’s plenty of room for improvement.
I wouldn’t specifically search for “meatless” because that’s usually somebody’s poor attempt at substituting something for meat.
Instead, do a search for “vegetable dishes” and that will get you much tastier results.
Examples: pasta dishes, casseroles, roasted vegetables.
Lotta Indian (real Indian, not British-Indian) food is vegetarian and they don’t seem to make a big deal about it.
Dude
There’s a run on the banks in Russia
Ppl standing in lines getting money out
Wild stuff
Luxury brands, jewellery stores and electronics retailers in Moscow say they’ve been slammed today.
“It’s been crazy. Everybody’s getting rid of their rubles before tomorrow” one shop assistant told me.
GO! INTERNAL DIVISIONS!
Holy shit, Mr. Numb Leg is not only still in the race, he’s winning. And still can’t feel his left leg.
Former UFC champ Chuck Liddel is at the race, and Chuck is clearly not worried about making weight anymore.
Flipping though channels and stopped on the NASCAR race long enough to hear that one of the drivers called in to tell his team his left leg was going numb and he couldn’t focus on what he was supposed to be doing.
So they’re going to loosen his seat, which I don’t think is one of the recommended treatments for a stroke. Anyway,I’m expecting a wreck any moment now.
Afternoon basketball is Rocking!
First Jazz vs Suns
Then Warriors vs Mavs later
Goooo Sports 🏀
Goooo Sports*
*not valid if playing against Russia**
**Sweden, Hungary, Poland, The Czech Republic, etc.
FIFA, of course has yet to suspend Russia, because FIFA makes the Legion of Doom from the old Superfriends cartoon look like a Cub Scout pack meeting
No, no, they banned the Russian soccer team! They can only play as the Federated Athletes of Russia. Problem solved. Nice work, FIFA!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fraSdN-PG8
FIBA Qualifying Game, baby! The Canada gonna bust the hymen of the U.S. Virgin Islands, no doubt!
/good guys are up 43-21
Oof! Anthony Bennett is on this team. That’s a long way down from the first overall pick in the NBA draft.
My Sunday Gravy companion piece: Big Cheez its just seems to be missing something compared to reglar sized ones. That is all.
I am overly fond of the Extra Toasty ones.
Hey, RTD, I have a suggestion for this week’s Request Line: songs about nuclear destruction.
Oh, no reason, just a random thought…
Dibs on “Final Countdown”.
We’ve done it already:
https://doorfliesopen.com/2016/06/24/request-line-armageddon/
In my defense, I am drunk most Friday evenings.
THIS GUY DUNSTAN I CALL HIM THE GREATEST SHOW ON TURF CAUSE HE HAS NO NEED FOR A DEFENSE.
Wooooof
Havertz was offsides according to VAR
Back to 0-0
And then Another 15 min???
Sheeesh this game is getting long
LOL glad it’s sponsored by an energy drink!
Woooof
Lukaku offsides according to VAR
Back to 0-0
Extra Time?
So it’s like overtime!!!
That’s Rocking!!!
Since we’re on the subject of produce: for you locals out there ” Heirloom” navel oranges are in season and they are glorious right now. For you apple connoisseurs I found a couple of new varietals. Cosmic Crisp is dynamite. Obviously a hybrid from honeycrisp. The real star is a breed called Sugar Bee. It’s also a branch of the honeycrisp family but it’s texture is fucking perfect. True to its name it is very sweet but it has a finish, swear to God, of cinnamon.
Ever eat a piece of fruit that makes you make yummy noises? This will.
I’m a Gala apple lifer, but if you say this Sugar Bee is good, I’ll give it a shot and see if it’s Rocking
I was a Fuji guy for years but they are known for rotting from the inside. Then I switched to Honeycrisp and I’m still sampling. Sugar Bee is indeed, rocking.
I’m an Empire man, myself.
My boys are Honeycrisp and Granny Smith fans. I find it weird because the former is sweet-ish and the latter is very tart.
/now I want a warm apple pie and a scoop of chocolate ice cream on the side
//quality vanilla ice cream is so hard to find now, it’s all garbage
Granny Smith is my go-to pie apple. If I have some leftover, I’ll eat them raw, but I never buy them just for that purpose.
Yeah, Honeycrisp and Sugar Bees are great. I like Cosmic Crisps, but they tend to be the most expensive and not really better in my view.
I’m still a Macintosh guy, but those are hard to find here. There’s one place near me that carries them for part of the year.
You know how I know you grew up in Canada? Mac’s are so popular up here-it’s as though folks think they grow on trees!
Yeah, I’m pretty sure the place that gets them occasionally here imports them from B.C. — they have that same little sticker on them that the ones I had growing up did.
It must be a hardier breed that did well in a shorter growing season. If I recall correctly, they were initially grown in the Niagara region in Ontario.
/nowadays soft fruit like peaches, apricots, nectarines and the like are grown there now. I don’t remember that being the case when I was a kid.
Woooof
VAR review of the Liverpool goal
Back to 0-0
Why is Houston not getting much respect? They went to the Final Four last year, have only 4 losses and are only ranked 14th?
In general second-tier cities like Houston don’t get all much respect. You need to have an NFL team for people to take your city seriously.
Burn!
Check out this vintage coolness!
I love stuff from extinct leagues! I’ve got a game puck with the Minnesota Fighting Saints (World Hockey Association) logo on it somewhere around here.
Found a funny;
Referring to any lemonade that isn’t Mike’s as flaccid
Took me a minute!
Mexican shortcut tips:
If you don’t have chicken stock, you can use water and chicken bouillon to taste.
You can roast the veggies in a comal (see picture below) without any oil to get the outside charred. Let them rest and then peel the charred skin off. That takes less time than the oven.
And yes, you can use the comal to make the tortillas too.
I need one of those!
You should be able to pick one up at any Mexican market. Specially, the little ones.
There are plenty of them around here, I am planning a trip to the Mexican produce market that’s down the street, conveniently close to the weed store.
This place has everything!
If you put them in a paper bag after you char them, the skins come right off. I guess it’s the steam?
Yes. I’ve also had luck putting them in a bowl with plastic wrap on top.
Exactly!
Chelsea vs Liverpool
Also Pulisic gets the start!!!!
That’s Rocking!!!
y’all is the White Hats today, please don’t disappoint Hippo
It’s too early for enchiladas yet it’s not.
I could get out of bed and empty my last 5 or 6 boxes. Or not!
We move in 4 weeks. Uggh
down the block of cross country?
It is not a good time. Hard to believe I’m not enjoying it, because I’ve been so Stoic about it all. Lolol, I’ve been whining nonstop for weeks! Have I mentioned how much I love you guys for putting up with my endless litany of complaints?
Its Sunday (Gravy)… juz chill gurl…
I’m so close to having all of the boxes emptied, and Gumby and the cat are coming down tomorrow. I like to shock and awe Gumby with my competence, it keeps him in line.
Understandable, I’m the same way. Well, press on, get er dun, impress hubby and be well!
alrightythen
FRONK GOAL
Taking on a pack of Wolves, armed only with Hammers? Pretty baller, East London.
Someone called?
I’m gonna make* this. Looks delicious.
* not the tortillas.
I got a guy that sells fresh tortilllas to Mexican restaurants. It’s $5 USD for a pound, which is about 30. I think this is a great deal.
/RTD faints at the largesse
That’s the best way to go.
This sounds outstanding. I got hooked, and spoiled, when I was stationed in El Paso, I know SoCal is just as good. But the last time I was there (San Diego) I was 18 and gave a rats ass about food sources and good cooking. Are the veggies seasonal at all there or do they truly grow them year round? If it is year round any difference in them during the seasons? I’ll hang up and listen to your reply…
I can say in winter up here 75% of our veggies are from Mexico. In the summer from British Columbia as it is not a frozen hellscape.
We get a lot of stuff in the winter from north Africa and southern Spain, but our zone is such that seasonal veggies are the best buy and Ma Natures way of spreading the vitamins around in your diet. If your system can tollerate them, wifey has issues with the cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc… so we still get out of season salad veggies at reasonable prices. I plant a typical garden for here in the summer so I’m pretty much set June-September.
Veggies in SoCal are pretty much year round. Fruit does get seasonal, but I find you can get almost any veggie any time.
They really are year round. Take oranges for example. You may have a specific type of orange that you prefer and that won’t be available year round but there will be a different variety in stock that you can substitute. I’ve noticed a lot of imports from Mexico, Chile and Costa Rica and they all fill in the blanks when local produce is not fresh.
Basically you can find what you’re looking for year round.
I don’t know why I woke up so early today, but I did. And it’s wonderful to be greeted by Sunday Gravy.
So that you could hang the laundry for an hour before the Dr. Mrs. Esq. (ret) got up and took it all in again?
She got Wordle in 2 today so she gets to do whatever she wants.