a few capfuls of apple cider vinegar while you cook the peppers and serve them with fried fish.
una de cadaenchilada casserole
i f con todo (with everything) is my favorite two-word phrase in Spanish, then it’s only right that una de cada is my favorite three-word phrase. It means “one of each,” and I use it every time I order enchiladas at restaurants in my Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn. Typically they come in chicken, beef, or cheese, and it’s hard to choose. So, with a big smile, I conjure up a sentence including the phrase that pays and ask for one of each instead of getting a plate of three identical enchiladas. Ordering off the menu usually works if you ask kindly, but again, another reason to cook at home! It’s your kitchen, your rules. In my kitchen I often skip the step of rolling three different types and stack everything in one deep casserole dish, kind of like lasagna. SERVES 10 TO 12
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
FOR THE ENCHILADA SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup finely chopped Vidalia or sweet onion
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 garlic clove, grated on a rasp or finely minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
¾ cup beef broth
FOR THE BEEF LAYER
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup finely chopped Vidalia or sweet onion
½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, grated on a rasp or finely minced
1½ pounds ground beef chuck (80% meat, 20% fat)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 packet (about 1¼ teaspoons) Sazon seasoning
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
¼ cup beef broth
FOR THE CHICKEN LAYER
1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat shredded
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
FOR THE CASSEROLE
1½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1½ cups shredded pepper Jack cheese
20 to 24 6-inch yellow corn tortillas, cut in half
1 Prepare the baking dish. Use the butter to coat the bottom and sides of a lasagna-deep 13 × 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
2 Make the sauce. In a medium pot over medium heat, combine the oil, onion, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until the onion is tender and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the tomato paste, stir with a wooden spoon, and cook until it deepens in color, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and thyme. Cook, stirring, until combined and fragrant, about 5 minutes, then add the crushed tomatoes and beef broth. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce to a simmer, simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.
3 Cook the beef. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large straight-sided pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to swirl, add the onion and the green and red bell peppers. Sprinkle with a nice pinch of salt and cook until the onion and peppers are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 4 minutes more. In this order add the beef, onion powder, cumin, thyme, Sazon, tomatoes, and broth, allowing time between each addition to blend. Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, stirring to break down the beef into bits. When the beef is cooked through, taste and season with a pinch of salt and a grind or two of pepper. Sazon adds salt, so be careful not to overseason. Set aside.
4 Prepare the chicken layer. In a large bowl, toss together the shredded chicken, ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, and the Cheddar and pepper Jack cheeses. Set aside.
5 Assemble and bake the casserole. In a small bowl toss the shredded cheeses together. Pour 1 cup of enchilada sauce into the prepared dish. One piece at a time, dunk the tortilla slices in the still-warm enchilada sauce in the pot and layer them on the bottom using the straight edges to line the sides, overlapping where
una de cadaenchilada casserole
i f con todo (with everything) is my favorite two-word phrase in Spanish, then it’s only right that una de cada is my favorite three-word phrase. It means “one of each,” and I use it every time I order enchiladas at restaurants in my Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn. Typically they come in chicken, beef, or cheese, and it’s hard to choose. So, with a big smile, I conjure up a sentence including the phrase that pays and ask for one of each instead of getting a plate of three identical enchiladas. Ordering off the menu usually works if you ask kindly, but again, another reason to cook at home! It’s your kitchen, your rules. In my kitchen I often skip the step of rolling three different types and stack everything in one deep casserole dish, kind of like lasagna. SERVES 10 TO 12
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
FOR THE ENCHILADA SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup finely chopped Vidalia or sweet onion
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 garlic clove, grated on a rasp or finely minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
¾ cup beef broth
FOR THE BEEF LAYER
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup finely chopped Vidalia or sweet onion
½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, grated on a rasp or finely minced
1½ pounds ground beef chuck (80% meat, 20% fat)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 packet (about 1¼ teaspoons) Sazon seasoning
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
¼ cup beef broth
FOR THE CHICKEN LAYER
1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat shredded
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
FOR THE CASSEROLE
1½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1½ cups shredded pepper Jack cheese
20 to 24 6-inch yellow corn tortillas, cut in half
1 Prepare the baking dish. Use the butter to coat the bottom and sides of a lasagna-deep 13 × 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
2 Make the sauce. In a medium pot over medium heat, combine the oil, onion, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until the onion is tender and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the tomato paste, stir with a wooden spoon, and cook until it deepens in color, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and thyme. Cook, stirring, until combined and fragrant, about 5 minutes, then add the crushed tomatoes and beef broth. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce to a simmer, simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.
3 Cook the beef. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large straight-sided pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to swirl, add the onion and the green and red bell peppers. Sprinkle with a nice pinch of salt and cook until the onion and peppers are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 4 minutes more. In this order add the beef, onion powder, cumin, thyme, Sazon, tomatoes, and broth, allowing time between each addition to blend. Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, stirring to break down the beef into bits. When the beef is cooked through, taste and season with a pinch of salt and a grind or two of pepper. Sazon adds salt, so be careful not to overseason. Set aside.
4 Prepare the chicken layer. In a large bowl, toss together the shredded chicken, ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, and the Cheddar and pepper Jack cheeses. Set aside.
5 Assemble and bake the casserole. In a small bowl toss the shredded cheeses together. Pour 1 cup of enchilada sauce into the prepared dish. One piece at a time, dunk the tortilla slices in the still-warm enchilada sauce in the pot and layer them on the bottom using the straight edges to line the sides, overlapping where
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