Cheese enchiladas: the essence of Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex is not Mexican food. That’s right, even though many of the restaurants you see across Texas often call themselves Mexican they’re not. But that’s OK. When Diana Kennedy said that the food Texans were cooking was an abomination of her beloved la cocina Mexicana, Texans replied, “You’re correct. Tex-Mex is a cuisine of its own!”
As much respect I have for Kennedy’s work, she was rather draconian in her assessment of what was happening north of the border. And as Tex-Mex is practically a youngster in the grand scheme of world cuisines (it’s only been around for about 150 years), it’s still evolving.
Many traditional Mexican ingredients, such as epazote, huitlacoche, prickly pear, jicama and yes, even cilantro were absent on the classic Tex-Mex menu, which was a brown and yellow feast of tamales, tacos, enchiladas, and queso, sandwiched between mountains of rice and refried beans.
But today, many restaurants are going beyond the basics and including more authentic Mexican flavors. Squash blossom quesadillas? Of course! Black beans in chile con queso? Why not?
Yet despite the evolution of the cuisine, there will always be room in my heart for that Tex-Mex classic: cheese enchiladas. And no, I’m not talking about goat cheese enchiladas. And no, I’m not talking about radish, rajas, and queso añejo enchiladas. I’m talking about a plate of rolled corn tortillas stuffed with oozing yellow cheese, floating in puddles of brown-chili gravy. Yes, that kind of cheese enchilada. The Tex-Mex kind.
What makes these enchiladas so special? It’s the chili gravy, a Tex-Mex classic and said by food writer Robb Walsh to be the essence of the cuisine itself. (And if you don’t have Walsh’s definitive tome on the subject, The Tex Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos, a must-have for all homesick Texans or fans of Texan cooking.)
Chili gravy is a mash-up between flour-based gravy and Mexican chile sauce. It’s a smooth and silky substance, redolent with earthy cumin, smoky chiles, and pungent garlic. It’s not fiery, as it was created by Anglos, but it does have flavor. And usually, there’s no meat in chili gravy—it’s just fat, flour, broth, and spices.
If you eat Tex-Mex outside of the state, the absence of this sauce is what makes the food taste wrong. It took me a long time to crack the Tex-Mex code, but when I found this recipe and made it for the first time, it was an epiphany: this was the flavor I’d been searching for.
On cold, bitter days, sometimes you just want to eat comfortable food, something to make you feel warm and cozy. And if macaroni and cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches are your usual comforts of choice, why not give these a try? They’re cheesy, not too spicy, and a true taste of Texas. Sure, you may have had cheese enchiladas, but unless you had them in Texas, they probably didn’t taste like these.
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Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy
Ingredients
Ingredients for the gravy:
- 1/4 cup lard or vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups beef broth, chicken broth, or water
Ingredients for the cheese enchiladas
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 corn tortillas
- 3 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- Pickled jalapeños, for serving
Instructions
- To make the gravy, heat the lard or oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and stir until it's lightly browned and fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute.
- Whisk in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour in the broth, then whisk with the flour until well blended. Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Turn the heat to low and let the gravy simmer for 15 minutes. Add more broth or water to thin the sauce if it's too thick.
- Meanwhile, to make the enchiladas, preheat the oven to 450° F.
- Pour the vegetable oil into a baking dish or large cast-iron skillet. Place the tortillas in the baking dish (it’s okay if they overlap) and make sure they are covered with the oil. Place uncovered in the oven as it heats for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the tortillas are soft and warm. Remove the tortillas from the baking dish and cover. Pour 1/2 cup of chili gravy into the dish.
- To assemble the enchiladas, take a tortilla and place 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese and 1 tablespoon of the onion down the center then roll it. Place the rolled tortilla in the baking dish, seam side down. Continue with the remaining tortillas.
- After assembling the enchiladas, evenly pour over them the rest of the chili gravy. Sprinkle on top the remaining cheese and onions. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese has melted.
- Serve warm with pickled jalapeños on the side.
Wow, what a bitch! I think any future self righteous posts by Jo Beth should be banned…also any post in which she calls someone “honey” or brags about being an eighth generation Texan. Here’s a charm school tip for you Jo Beth – you can disagree with someone and do it in a nice and respectful way.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I moved to Germany from Dallas this year and I’m having Tex-Mex withdrawl. (I never learned to cook Tex-Mex until recently because there were so many wonderful restaurants to choose from in Dallas.) Thanks for all the recipes, I really enjoy your site!
I came across your blog recently…I’m a native too and have the great fortune of being back in Texas for some time after living out west. I was just about to suggest Mr. Walsh’s wonderful book to you when I found this post!!!
I too grew up with huge family Saturday nights at the local Tex-Mex places both in Abilene and all over the DFW area (Friday nights are for HS football-lest we forget-LOL). As far as I can remember back, baskets of warm toasted chips with little pats of REAL butter to put on the chips before you were brave enough to dip it into the hot sauce on the table!!!
The book was such a homecoming to me, it brought back such great memories of food and family…Tex-Mex is what we learned to cook first. And yes, even rotel & velveeta for many a meal in HS & college.
Your site is fantastic and yummy and I’m blessed to be able walk in my pantry and grab a can of Rotel anytime I want!!!
I spent my 30th b-day (years ago) in Port Townsend, Washington-where we had just moved to from Texas. I felt so lonely and it was rainy, so I took my pity party down to Aldrich’s grocery store and found they had Chili-Cheese Fritos AND Dr. Pepper (my great-grandmother called them Fruitos, “Honey go hand me the Frui-tos please”). I walked back home in the drizzle and enjoyed the BEST back of “Frui-tos” in my life…
Speaking of anyone ever put Tom’s peanuts in a bottle of DP?? And at the laundry mat with your Memaw?
I love Texas! -Kim
Alright, you went and did it now. I *had* to make enchiladas last night. I was planning on tacos, so I already had my favorite corn tortillas on hand. Everything else was pretty much staples (along with an overabundance of cheese due to a grocery purchasing error earlier this week).
I found the chili gravy to be more chili powder-y than the ones that I remember eating. But that’s easily adjusted. Soooo good to get that flavor again. Yum!!!!
I’m coming back to Texas for a visit of Christmas. Can. Not. Wait. 🙂
Another Expat Texan suffering on Wednesday nights. Moved to the foothills of the Ctskill mountains 10 years ago. now I have to wait until I GO HOME each year to bust my stomach on El Fenix enchiladas and gravey.
I have perfected the enchiladas using longhorn cheese and cooking them at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour in a steamtray. I use a shallow lazagna pan inside a deeper tray creating a water bath I cover both pans with “Release” non stick foil so it comes off clean.
However the gravy is still eluding me even though Rob Walsh’s comes real close. I hope one day to catch a cook from the kitchen at one of the resturants and get the real receipe. The meat that is used with it is very slow cooked beef. I think the meat is the real key to the final gravy. It is a fatty cut that must be slow cooked because it melts in your mouth with the gravy.
I can’t wait to review the rest of your site.
Homesick Jim “Misplaced Texan
I just stumbled upon this blog and had to add my 2 cents. I too use a recipe from Robb Walsh’s book from my personal favorite restaurant, Molina’s in Houston. However, I’ve found the best Tex-Mex cheese to use is American. I go to the deli counter at my neighborhood NYC Food Emporium and get a big block of Boar’s Head yellow American cheese. It melts perfectly (as well as Velveeta, but not as salty tasting). Sometimes I use a little Longhorn or cheddar mixed in, sometimes not. Now if I could just find out how to make Molina’s salsa!