Day 2 of Foods and Flavors of San Antonio

Today's featured recipe from Gloria Chadwick's new cookbook, "Foods and Flavors of San Antonio", is enchiladas. This recipe is easy to prepare and quite versatile when it comes to deciding what type of filling you would like to use.

The typical enchilada dishes offered in various restaurants around the Southwest, especially in San Antonio, are filled with either beef or chicken. Some new " Nuevo Latino Cuisine" food establishments have been known to offer this traditional dish with a filling of lobster or crabmeat. They are quite tasty too.

For a sauce, you can use red chile or green chile. However you choose to prepare your enchiladas I'm sure they will be enjoyed by all. Complete the meal with a side dish of Mexican Rice and maybe some refried beans and a simple salad and you will have yourself a memorable meal.

Remember that we will be adding names to the "hat" for a drawing on Saturday for two of Gloria's cookbooks. The winners will also receive a copy of my ecookbook Mi Chita's Mexican Chocolate Recipes. So get yourself to the kitchen and enjoy making this wonderful dish of enchiladas.

Beef Enchiladas

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 (10 ounce) cans red enchilada sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Ligtly spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, brown ground beef with the onion over medium-high heat. Season with cumin and chili powder while meat is still cooking. Place 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Add oil to a 12 inch skillet and heat for 2 minutes over medium heat. Using tongs, fry each tortilla (one at a time) for 3 seconds per side.Drain on paper towels and set on a paper plate.

Dip each tortilla in the sauce and set on a separate plate. Once done, fill each tortilla with the beef mixture and cheese and roll tightly. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes to brown the cheese.