Green Chili and Chicken Enchiladas

Yes it's that time of the month again friends: time to dust of our aprons, sharpen our knives and get daring. Daring with a capital "D" that is!

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

Truth be told the concept of enchiladas wasn't all that daring to me, as I've ventured down that road before. However the real challenge was making your own Mexican style sauce to use in the enchiladas and this was definitely worth the effort. I ended up butchering this challenge (out of necessity) to adapt to what I could procure locally and tomatillos,  unfortunately, was not one of those things. Neither was corn tortillas. Corn tortilla chips I could find by the truckload but a plain tortilla? No dice. 

I bravely attempted to fashion my own corn tortillas using maize flour - I figured, it couldn't be too different from the masa harina normally used to make this. Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. Don't even attempt this. Unless you want to end up with a mushy, white bowl of flour sludge. Not an appetising thought.

In the end I decided to abandon the stacked enchilada concept as advocated by the sample recipe in favour of the more traditional rolled enchiladas. For which I could use the easily obtainable flour tortillas. The tomatillos was substituted by green (i.e unripe) tomatoes with added lemon juice, as suggested by our resident Daring Kitchen expert, Audax.

And that was it folks. After overcoming these obstacles the recipe came together easily and relatively quickly. I was a bit apprehensive regarding the large (to me) quantity of chillies, but even though chili sauce was fiery on it's own, it was spicy perfection in combination with the chicken and tortillas. Which just proves again - homemade is always superior. Thanks Barbara & Bunnee for an awesome challenge!

Green Chilli and Chicken Enchiladas

Adapted from Fine Cooking (written by Rob Walsh)

Serves 4

8 small green chillies

5 medium green tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic

4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

60g yellow pattypan squash (summer squash), coarsely grated

170 g gouda cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste
3 1/2 large flour tortillas (25cm/2 inch diameter)

fresh coriander (cilantro) for garnish, chopped 

1. Place chillies, tomatoes and garlic on a oven tray. Broil for 10 - 15 minutes or until tomatoes are softened and chillies blackened.
2. Peel skins off chillies, slit open and remove seeds. Add chillies to a blender along with tomatoes and puree.
3. Removed pureed tomato-chili mixture to a saucepan and squeeze the roasted garlic into the sauce. Add oregano, salt, pepper and chicken broth, mix through and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups (this will take approximately 10 - 15 minutes).
5. Taste, adjusting seasonings if needed. Set aside.
6. Preheat oven to 180C. Mix together the chicken, squash and half of the cheese for the filling, lightly seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Spoon half of the sauce into the bottom of a rectangular ovenproof dish, large enough to hold all the enchiladas.

8. Cut tortillas in half, then add a large spoonful of filling to each half, and lightly roll up. Tightly pack into the ovenproof dish, atop the sauce.

9. Spoon over the remainder of the sauce and place enchiladas in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove briefly, topping with the remainder of the cheese, then return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. Garnish with chopped coriander (cilantro) and serve while still hot.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 506.3 , Total fat 19.5 g, Saturated fat 9.9 g, Polyunsaturated fat 2.0 g, Monounsaturated fat 8.4 g, Cholesterol 90.0 mg, Sodium 2,014.7mg, Potassium 1065.3 mg, Total carbohydrate 49.7 g, Dietary fiber 4.3 g, Sugars 8.5 g, Protein 33.5 g

Good source of: Phosphorus 63.8 %, Vitamin C 62.0 %, Selenium 55.8 %, Calcium 36.8 %, Thiamin 33.5 %, Riboflavin 33.5 %, Vitamin B6 30.3 %, Folate 28.3 %, Iron 25.5 %,

Brunswick Stew

I still can't believe it. I *actually* went to the store and I bought a piece of warthog. Not many people will have the balls to pick up a packet of warthog meat, nevertheless actually buy the thing. I don't even have to mention the actual cooking and eating part do I?

As the cashier so eloquently put it (with slightly raised eyebrows I might add) "Is it for dog food?"

My answer? A slightly embarassed "No".

But why should I feel embarrassed? I should feel heroic for going where no (sensible) (wo)man has gone before! To infinity and beyond! Or something like that anyway... In all seriousness though I did have a little bit of "WhatTheHellAmIDoing" going on while heading home with my warthog tucked securely in a plastic shopping bag. The whole experience seemed a bit surreal and the smell of the raw warthog meat when I removed it from it's wrapping wasn't exactly enticing. It didn't smell bad, but it sure did smell.... odd. Wild is probably a better word. Which is to be expected. It is after all a wild animal.

I have a very vivid imagination and it didn't help that I was picturing a crazed warthog face the whole time while chopping the meat up. Thankfully the crazed warthog stayed locked in my mind though...

So you're probably dying to know: Why Warthog? Why it's for the Daring Cooks challenge of course! You didn't think I was crazy enough to attempt something like this of my own volition, did you?

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

Wolf gave us some history on Brunswick Stew:

"Brunswick Stew has a long, and oft debated history. Brunswick, Georgia claimed that the first Brunswick Stew was created there in 1898. There is, at the Golden Isles Welcome Center on Interstate 95, a bronzed stew pot with a plaque proclaiming this fact.

However, Brunswick, Virginia claims that the first Brunswick Stew was created there by a camp cook named Jimmy Matthews in 1828, for a hunting expedition led by Dr. Creed Haskings, a member of the Virginia State Legislature for a number of years.

Every year, there is an Annual Brunswick Stew Cookoff that pits ‘Stewmasters’ from both Virgina and Georgia against their counterparts, and takes place every October in Georgia. The Brunswick Stewmasters recipe says *exactly* what is used in competion stews, and states that 'Adding any additional ingredient(s) will disqualify the stew from being an original Brunswick Stew.'

However, most agree that, Brunswick stew is not done properly 'until the paddle stands up in the middle.'”

The stew was actually pretty easy to make. You know once I got rid of the crazed warthog image... It's a lengthy process sure, but involves very little legwork on the cook's part. You just brown all the meat, add the stock, potatoes and carrots, then cook for about an hour and a half. Then you add the rest of the ingredients and cook for another half an hour. Simple.

The end result? A flavourful hodgepodge of ingredients that will happily sate an empty belly. Even if mine wasn't thick enough to hold a paddle standing in the middle...

Brunswick Stew

Adapted from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

Serves 6 - 8

The original recipe calls for rabbit, but I opted to add a little South African flavour instead. Warthog is very similar in taste and appearance to ostrich, though somewhat drier. I have no idea what part of the warthog I used, but it was a longish flat piece with no bones in, I suppose you could call it a fillet.You can substitute the warthog with any other venison (or use rabbit if you're able to find it where you live).

3 tbsp olive oil

50g bacon, roughly chopped

750g chicken pieces on the bone, skinned

350g warthog*, cut into chunks
1 tbsp salt

4 cups chicken stock 

4 potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks

3 carrots, peeled & cut into chunks
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups whole corn kernels (drained if using canned)

2 cups butterbeans (drained if using canned)

2 tins whole tomatoes in puree, drained (reserve juice for another use)
tabasco sauce, to taste (optional)

1. Dry-fry bacon over high heat in a large enough saucepan to accomodate your stew. Remove when browned, and set aside.
2. Add half the olive oil to the saucepan and sear (brown) the chicken pieces on all sides, then remove and set aside with the bacon. Repeat the process with the warthog pieces. Carefully salt the seared meats.
3. By now you should have sticky brown bits in the bottom of your pan. Add the chicken stock, stirring to loosen up all the flavourpacked brown bits, then allow to reduce by at least half.
4. Return your meat to the pan, adding the rest of the stock, as well as the potatoes, carrots, onion, chilli flakes and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover with lid, allowing the stew to simmer for about an hour and a half. The chicken should be falling off the bone and the warthog and vegetables should be quite soft.
5. Using two forks, shred the chicken and warthog finely. I did this in the saucepan, but you might find it easier to remove the meat first. If you removed the meat, add it back to the pan.
6. Add the corn, butter beans and tomatoes to the stew, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and cover with a lid. Cook for another half an hour to forty-five minutes. Taste, adjusting seasoning if needed and optionally add tabasco sauce to your liking.

Serve as is or with rice or bread to mop up the juices.

Bokkom, Lemon & Basil Risotto with Fried Aubergine Slices

We recently visited Paternoster and while there I had a delicious dish of homemade pasta sheets layered with chillies, bokkoms and toasted breadcrumbs. In fact I was so taken with the bokkom flavour, that I bought some to take home with me (vacuum packed to give our nostrils a fighting chance...). I confess, they were lying on the kitchen counter for a few days, staring at me accusingly, then I unceremoniously dumped them in the kitchen cupboard, for later usage.

A few days later I started scouring the internet and racking my brain for risotto ideas and happened upon a recipe for a risotto with anchovies, mint and fried aubergines. And so I started thinking that bokkoms (at least to me) are somewhat similar to anchovies and wouldn't the preserved lemon that I made for the previous Daring Cooks challenge be a perfect complement to the flavours?

However I had another hurdle awaiting me  - the challenge demanded that we make our own stock. Yes, from scratch. At first I wanted to take the easy way out and make some vegetable stock. I really did not feel up to handling a chicken carcass. In the end though, I bullied myself into roasting a chicken (my first time) and making stock from the chicken bones and reserved skin. The things I do in the name of science... I stuffed the chicken with one of my preserved lemons which infused the whole bird with a deliciously lemony flavour. That was enough to convince me to make a lemony chicken stock too.

It was a simple affair really - add chicken bones, reserved skin, remainder of preserved lemon (plus some extra) and the leftover chicken juices at the bottom of the roasting pan to a pot, add a roughly chopped carrot and celery stalk, some onions, a bit of salt and top up with water. And voila! In about three hours you have a flavourful chicken stock. And it makes your whole house smell pretty good too.

As for the risotto - it was heavenly. The bokkoms added just the right note of saltiness and bite to the creamy risotto and the preserved lemon peel and basil delivered the final touches. I will admit that I never could understand the hype about homemade chicken stock, but I think it really made a difference in the end result. Bon appetit!

Oh and before I forget, the official challenge checking line:

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

Bokkom, Lemon & Basil Risotto with Fried Aubergine Slices

Adapted from About.com: Homecooking

Inspired by a meal prepared by Sardines on Toast (blogger/chef at Oep ve Koep, Paternoster)

Serves 4

1 medium aubergines, cut into strips

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 bokkoms, sliced finely*

1 3/4 cups arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

6 cups lemon chicken stock

3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

3 tbsp butter

1 tsp preserved lemon peel

1. In a large saucepan, heat two tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the aubergine and fry until well browned and tender, about 8 - 10 minutes. Reduce the heat as needed to keep the aubergine from burning.

2. Heat the rest of the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, garlic and bokkoms and saute for 2 minutes. 

3. Add rice and stir for a few minutes to coat the rice with oil.

4. Add wine and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Stir constantly until all the wine is absorbed. 

5. Add the chicken stock, a half cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding more stock. The whole process will take about 20 -25 minutes for the rice to be cooked al dente. 

6. Stir in the basil, butter and lemon peel. Spoon the risotto into individual serving bowls, and arrange the fried aubergine slices on top. Sprinkle with more basil and lemon peel if desired. Serve at once. 

* If you aren't lucky enough to be able to personally buy some bokkoms (dried salted mullet) on the West Coast of South Africa, I would imagine that you might be able to get away with using bacalao (dried salted cod). I have not tasted bacalao myself though, so you might want to use your own discretion on that one. Otherwise, use anchovies as per the original recipe.