aardvark enchiladas

These are damned good enchiladas. The sauce was originally inspired by androjen's jenchilada sauce; as you can see, it's been through a few revisions. The sauce itself turns out a bit spicy when tasted but after being added to the enchiladas it drops to a pleasant low heat. If you're sensitive to spicy foods you may want to leave out one of the chipotles.

I prefer to use steak, frozen and cut into thin slices about the length of a finger, but I've also used ground beef and ground turkey with equal success. As for the cheese, you'll want something like mozzarella, cheddar, or monterey-/pepper jack.

I imagine the sauce should freeze nicely. I confess I have not tried to freeze it; I tend to make it in small batches when I need it and always use the whole pot.

The Sauce
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 4 cups beef stock (950 ml)
• 1 cup tomato sauce (240 ml)
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1/4 tbsp paprika
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 chipotle peppers
• salt
• red chili flakes or cayenne pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour in parts, stirring until you get a nice brown paste.
2. Take it off the heat and add the beef stock and tomato sauce, stirring until mixed.
3. Put it back on the heat and set it to simmer.
4. Mix in the chili powder, oregano, cumin, paprika, garlic, and chipotle peppers.
   • I highly recommend toasting and grinding your cumin before adding it in; it adds a nice warm depth and flavor that untoasted cumin doesn't possess.
5. Simmer lightly for 20-30 minutes, stirring from time to time. While it's cooking, see below for instructions on preparing the filling.
6. Taste the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.

The Filling
• 8 large (burrito size) tortillas
• 1 lb meat (450 g)
• 1 large white onion
• 2 medium-large bell peppers
• 1/2 lb to 1 lb shredded cheese (225-450 g)

1. Slice the meat, onions, and bell peppers however you like. I prefer strips about the length of a pinky finger.
2. Preheat your oven to 350° F (175° C, aka Moderate) and start cooking your meat in a large skillet. Depending on how your sauce tastes, you may want to add a bit of red or black pepper to the meat.
3. When the meat is not quite done, throw in your onions and bell peppers. Sauté the whole mess for a little bit, until the onions look a bit translucent at the edges and it doesn't make your eyes sting if you take a whiff. Remove from heat.
4. Take about a cup or two of your sauce and coat the meat-onion-pepper mixture evenly.
5. Take a large spoon and a tortilla. Spoon a generous amount of the filling into the middle of the tortilla, throw on a small handful of cheese, then roll it and put it in a large baking pan.
6. Repeat until you run out of filling or tortillas.
7. Pour the remaining sauce on the rolled tortillas and top that with more cheese.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
9. Serve with sour cream and a pale beer, preferably a cerveza.