Cheese and Bean Enchiladas

Enchiladas need no introduction. Its the perfect choice perfect for those weeknights where I can let my oven do most of the work while I relax with a book. Chicago has a lot of good authentic Mexican restaurants but I prefer Tex-Mex with its cheesy-spicy flavours. My recipe is inspired from here with various modifications. Enchiladas can be stuffed with a few different things - black beans, pinto beans, refried beans, veggies like capsicum, onions, green and red peppers etc and also with different meats. I always keep a can of beans and a packet of shredded cheese handy to satisfy those Mexican cravings. I prefer to use store bought enchilada sauce and they work as well as anything prepared from scratch.

Assemble

1 - 2 cups of beans (I prefer refried or pinto)
A packet of tortillas - corn, flour or wheat
6 ounces shredded cheese (cheddar or assorted Mexican)
Enchilada sauce (spicier the better)
2 tbsp oil
Salsa to serve
Cilantro to garnish


Spices (optional)
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
Red Chili Powder
Taco/ Fajita seasoning

Method

For the black bean stuffing, heat 1 tbsp of oil in wide skillet. Season with the spices. Then add the canned beans with a little water so its not too thick. Allow the beans to simmer for 1o minutes till the flavor of the spices have settled in. Sometimes at this point I also add some salsa to give it a extra zing. Mash the beans around a little so it forms a runny paste.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray oil on a baking dish.

To assemble the enchiladas, bring out bean mixture, enchilada sauce, cheese and tortillas. Heat a non stick pan on the stove. Soften a tortilla on the pan 10 seconds on each side with a little brushing of oil. Spread a spoonful of bean sauce in the center of the tortilla, with 2 tsp enchilada sauce and a sprinkling of grated cheese. Fold long ends of tortilla and place on the baking dish with seam side down. Repeat with other tortillas.

Once all the tortillas have been assembled, sprinkle some more enchilada sauce on the top (more if you want it spicy) and sprinkle the rest of the cheese till it covers the top of all the tortillas. Uncovered pockets cause the tortillas to dry and become hard.

Cover with a foil and bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Remove the foil in the last 10 minutes to you know when the cheese starts to bubble.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with salsa.

Variations : You could saute onions, green peppers etc along with beans to give it bit of a crunch.