Honduran Enchiladas

A funny thing about Honduran food is that it has a lot in common with Mexican cuisine, like main ingredients and basic flavors. We even have very similar dishes, and some of them are called the same in both countries. But most things aren’t. Somewhere along the line someone in Honduras decided to name our dishes after Mexican ones, even if the dishes were not the same thing at all. I have no idea when or how this madness got started. All I know is that it can create a lot of confusion when ordering foods in certain restaurants.

One big example of this is the enchilada. A Honduran enchilada is sort of like a Mexican tostada — a bunch of stuff piled high on a fried corn tortilla. A Mexican enchilada is something else entirely. I don’t even know what we would call them in Honduras. We’re just special like that. What matters is that this dish is a mountain of deliciousness. The recipe may seem very time-consuming but it really isn’t. If you look closely, the only thing that should take more than a few minutes to prepare is the meat. Mission even sells some really tasty fried tortillas!

As usual, you can change the ingredients to fit your tastes. Just stick to the basics: a fried corn tortilla, some kind of meat on top, and some kind of a cabbage-based salad on top of that. What follows is the recipe for a FULL OUT enchilada, the proper Honduran way.

One last thing: don’t use lettuce. Lettuce on Honduran food is an abomination and I do NOT know where the hell American cooks got the idea that it was OK to use lettuce in Latin American food. It’s horrible and it throws off all the flavors. I like lettuce just fine on its own, but it does NOT belong anywhere near a taco or a tostada. Just flat-out wrong. Heathens.

Also: what the hell is it with hard taco shells? who the hell came up with that stupid idea?

Oh, right, the recipe. Again, it seems like a lot of steps, but it’s actually pretty easy. This makes 8-10 enchiladas.

Layer 1, The Tortilla:

-corn tortillas, fried

Layer 2, The Sauce:
2 tablespoons of mayo
1 tablespoon of ketchup
1/2 tablespoon of mustard

(Mix Well. Play around with the amounts depending on what you like best.)

Layer 3, The Meat:

1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
spices (cumin, salt, pepper)
cooking oil

Optional:
1 large carrot, diced small
1 medium potato, diced small

Method:

Layer 3 (meat):

1) Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add onion and green pepper and cook until onion is transparent. About halfway there, add the garlic. Add carrots and potatoes if you’re using them.
2) Toss in the meat and tomato paste . Cook the meat and vegetables thoroughly.

While the meat cooks you can prepare the salad (Layer 4):

Half a head of cabbage, shredded
1 plum tomato, diced
Vinegar or lime juice
salt and pepper
cilantro (optional)

1) Wash your cabbage thoroughly, shred it fine
2) toss with condiments

**The next three layers are optional, but they make the whole thing even more delicious**

Layer 5:
Tomato slices

Layer 6:
2 or 3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Layer 7:
Parmesan Cheese

Now the fun part. What we do at home is let everyone build their own enchilada at the table. This is the preferable order:

Spread some of the sauce on the tortilla. Add a layer of meat, a layer of salad, and the other three ingredients. Don’t be too greedy and eat carefully, as they can easily fall apart.

This is one of my favorite dishes in the world. It’s easy, delicious, and just plain fun to eat. Enjoy!

(Posted by Figgylicious)