Enchiladas Rojas

Directions

To Prepare the Vegetables

1. Put the carrots into a small pan, barely cover with water, and add the salt. Bring to a boil, covered, and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook until still a little al dente, about 10 minutes more. Drain and transfer to a glass or nonreactive bowl. Barely cover with cold water, add the vinegar, and set aside while you prepare the chile sauce.

To Make the Sauce

1. Flatten the chiles as much as possible and toast lightly over medium heat for a few seconds, taking care not to let them burn. Transfer the chiles to a small pan, cover with water, and bring them to a simmer; continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Set them aside to soak for another 10 minutes; by this time they should be rehydrated and fleshy. Strain the chiles, discarding the water, and tear them into small pieces.

2. Put ½ cup of fresh water into a blender jar, add the garlic, peppercorns, and cloves, and blend as smooth as possible. Gradually add the chiles and the rest of the water, blending well after each addition. It is important to blend the chiles as much as you can because the skins are tough.

3. Transfer the sauce to a bowl through a fairly fine strainer, pressing as hard as you can to extract as much of the flesh as possible. Discard the debris of tough skin still remaining. Add the oregano and salt to taste and set aside.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees as you need to keep the enchiladas hot as you fry and fill them and fry the vegetables. Heat a serving dish or individual plates.

To Assemble the Enchiladas

1. Heat about 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small frying pan, about 6 inches in diameter over medium heat; the oil should not be too hot or the sauce will burn. Dip one of the tortillas into the sauce to lightly coat it, and supporting it with tongs and a broad spatula fry for a few seconds on each side – the tortilla should not become crisp around the edge. Hold it over the pan to drain off excess oil, then sprinkle some of the cheese and onion down the center of the “face” or top skin of the tortilla, roll loosely, and place on a serving dish.

2. Add more oil, a little at a time as necessary, and prepare the rest of the tortillas. When all the enchiladas have been fried there should be some chile sauce left over. Add the remaining oil and heat it, then add the rest of the sauce and the drained vegetables and fry them until the sauce has reduced and seasoned the vegetables, about 5 minutes. Pass them through a strainer to drain off any excess oil and spread over the enchiladas.

3. Top with the serving ingredients and serve immediately.