Kale and Spinach Enchiladas with Tequila Sauce

A few weeks ago, I saw a clip of Paula Deen drinking a small cup of melted butter.   (Well, of course it was melted, how do you drink solid butter?)  Actually, who could be surprised that Paula would do such a thing?  I thought of her as I was making this, because I would gladly drink this tequila sauce. And not because of the tequila. If you've ever had tomatilla sauce, you know It has a tangy, spicy kick to it that's very different from red tomato based sauces.  And this one is very good.  You can barely see the sauce in the picture, because it's not heavy and just naps the enchilada.  That's good because you can serve extra sauce on the side for people to pour on their serving if they wish.   The filling looks a bit evil because I wandered off as the kale and spinach were sauteing.  It cooked longer than I wanted and darkened quite a bit. But, it still tasted good. 

This is another one of those recipes where the recipe is not exactly accurate regarding the amount of servings.  It says you will get six enchiladas using 1/2 cup of filling in each one.  I find that can vary according to the type of greens that you use, as well as how long you cook them. You can use any type of greens that you want. But, some (like spinach) will wilt down very quickly into a rather meager amount.  Sturdier greens, like kale or beet greens will have more heft to them. So, that's a good thing to keep in mind.   I used kale and spinach for the taste, as well as the texture.

Kale and Spinach Enchiladas with Tequila Sauce ( adapted from Jacqueline McMahan from The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook)

Filling:  (Note, you may use other greens of your choosing)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 bunch kale roughly chopped, with tough center stem removed
8-10 ounces spinach, stemmed
1/4 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce:

1/2 onion
4 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno chile
1-1/2 pounds canned tomatillas
3 tablespoons mild tequila or vodka
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons olive oil
6 corn tortillas
1-1/2 cups Monterey Jack or manchego cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make filling:  Heat oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the onion and place the kale on top. Saute, moving the kale around until it wilts and cooks evenly, for about 5-7 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, spinach and salt and saute for an additional 3-5 minutes until the spinach wilts and the mushrooms are cooked through. The time of cooking will be determined by the greens you use.  Set aside.

To make sauce:  Wrap jalapeno, onion and garlic in foil and bake for 45 minutes. Stem and seed the chile.  Place tomatillas, roasted onions, garlic, and chile in a food processor and puree.  Add a little water if necessary.  Push puree through a sieve. Place puree in a skillet and add tequila or vodka, cream and salt. If the puree is very thick add a little water to thin it out.  Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, until sauce has thickened.  The sauce may not be very thick, but as long as it coats a spoon, that's fine.

For a simpler version of the sauce, replace the canned tomatillas, jalapenos, and onions with about 2 cups good quality store bought tomatilla sauce made with onions and chilies.  Add the tequila and the cream and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes.

To assemble:  Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add a tortilla to the pan and fry until softened.  Remove tortilla from pan and place about 1/2 cup of the filling towards the edge of the tortilla and roll each tortilla up into an enchilada.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Spray a baking pan with Pam or brush oil on it. Smear a little of the sauce on the bottom.  Place enchiladas in baking pan next to each other.  Spread the sauce on them and sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese.  Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.  Serve with extra sauce and cheese, if you wish.   

Comments

[Shannon]

Another amazing-looking dish, and made with my veggie du jour (actually, of the month), spinach! I suppose cooking the tequila would not count as "drinking" alcohol, would it? I think not. :)

[sher]

Shannon,

LOL!! Yes, here's one way to drink some tequila after you've sworn off alcohol for a bit. Spinach alone works very well with these--but it sure does cook down into a small amount of filling!

[jenny]

Yay! A way to sneak kale onto my husbands plate without him noticing, hopefully! We always seem to get it in our veggie box and he hates it! Thankyou very much!

[sher]

Jenny,

Yes, we have to do these sneaky things sometime! Add the spinach and you won't really be tricking him if you say they're spinach enchiladas. :):) For me, it's tofu. My husband loathes it. But, you know--with the right recipe..........

[LiberalFoodie]

This sounds like a great recipe. I've been looking for a tomatillo sauce recipe that would accompany go well with spinach enchiladas. Thank you much! I'll post the outcome on my blog.

[Heather]

I googled kale and cheese enchiladas because I had made these before and couldn't remember where I found the recipe. In any case, I came across your recipe and they were different. I made them and they were great! The tequilia is the "special" ingredient! Actually I improvised a bit because my tomatillos in the garden were not quite ready so I used tomatoes and added cilantro. Overall it was really good!