I had fun today, no guitar work but a good time in the kitchen staying warm with this rain. Safeway had a deal on chicken leg quarters, five of them for $4. Corn tortillas, black beans, canned corn, green onions, some cheese. Enchiladas on the menu. I also scored at the Farmers Market, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, wax beans for a choice chicken soup.
A stop at Salvation Army turned up a good apple machine, peels, cores and spiral cuts. As I have a large bag of granny smith apples from the tree, it’ll be good for chutney and pies. I had to tune the cutter but it works fine.
Chicken in the pot to boil for soup stock with salt and garlic powder. Meanwhile, I have a lot of tomatoes from the landlord’s patch, pealed, seeded and cooked down, two cups of sauce put up.
When the chicken got done I set it aside to cool. I picked the meat off and threw everything else back in the pot to boil for bone stock. I shredded more than half the meat with a fork, saving some for soup, there’s a lot boxed in the fridge. A thought, Alan at work is lactose intolerant, a special is in order. I opened the black beans, dumped the liquor, in the big bowl, corn the same, diced most of the green onions, some in a glass of water to keep growing, free onions. I separated the white from the greens, white in the bowl, greens aside in a small bowl for garnish. I still have some cilantro from last week, still in good shape, picked off the dark leaves and stems saving the fresh stuff. Some in the bowl, some aside for garnish. A can of black olives, sliced, half in the bowl. All the shredded chicken, wow, there’s a lot, it’ll be great.
I made my own enchilada sauce not spicy, oil in the pan, a big glug, fried a small diced onion, two tablespoons flour, two tablespoons paprika, one tablespoon cumin (instead of chili powder), teaspoon garlic powder, browned lightly. Add a can of O tomato sauce and a quarter can water. I used my immersion blender to mix in the onions. As it got hot it thickened up with the flour. I actually added a few drops of cheap hot sauce to put a mild bite to it, just a little. They can add more. A few spoons of this added to the bowl and mixed.
I nuked the tortillas for 40 seconds under a wet paper towel to soften them up. A few spoons of straight sauce in the small glass bread pan for Alan, a tortilla filed with the stuff, seam down, two more. sauce, cilantro, onion and olive garnish. stashed in the oven.
Up to the corner store for a cup of sour cream. A big spoonful in the bowl mixed, the rest in the sauce mixed. Several spoons sauce in the big metal pan spread out. Need more cheese, half a pack of Unexpected Cheddar grated, added to the medium grated cheddar in a bowl, should bring it up a notch. Tortilla, stuff, cheese, seam down, repeat until the pan is full. Covered in the middle with sauce leaving the outer tortilla edge to crisp. Garnish with cilantro, green onion, olives and cheese. Bake 375 for twenty minutes.
I had just enough left for one more, rolled up on a sauced plate, sauce and cheese on top, nuked for two minutes, Wow, perfect. These are really good. For now I covered them in foil to the fridge. I’ll transfer them to plastic cartons for work. We can heat them individually on the paper plates I picked up. It’ll be a fine lunch for the gang.
I keep heating up the soup broth. I strained it off and will remove the fat tomorrow when it cools. It’ll be a great chicken soup with all that gelatin, good for my joints.
8shotoflove8 