Enchilada Stacks With Chicken And White Bean Stew

I saw this recipe in Food & Wine magazine, with the photo accompanying the article food styled to perfection. Each bean was meticulously placed, and the enchilada stack was a veritable tower.  In contrast, my stack looks humble indeed.  And I made it EXACTLY as the recipe specified.  But never mind, I enjoyed eating my stack very much.  And not to worry, even though the recipe lists chilies as an ingredient, it's not hot at all. The chilies in question are ancho and poblanos, which add flavor but no heat.  The combination of taste and texture makes this a very satisfying dish.  Two corn tortillas are layered with cheese, then baked until slightly crispy with the cheese melting. Then each stack goes into a shallow bowl with the stew ladled on top, bringing the crisped tortilla, savory stew, creamy cheese and hearty broth all together. Very, very good.

Here's the poblano chili that I charred over my gas burner.   Then, I immediately put a dishcloth over the chili and waited about 15 minutes. Then I simply rubbed the skin off.

   I always enjoy doing this because the aroma of the pepper floats up to your nose as you rub the skin off.  And the emerald color of the pepper is beautiful.

The pepper is chopped and sauteed with diced red onion, then added to the chicken and bean stew.  The stew is simple to make, but full of herbs and spices.  It's delicious.

The rest of the preparation wasn't photographed because my cousin called me and I was juggling cooking the tortillas and talking to her.   I think it shows fabulous physical coordination to fry corn tortillas, sandwich them with grated cheese in the middle, and bake them in the oven while commiserating with my Cuz.  I may not be able to make a decent recipe index for this blog, but I can cook and talk on the phone with the best of them!

If you want your stack to look higher, you could stack three or four tortillas, instead of the two I used.  But, that might make it difficult to eat the stack.   

Enchilada Stacks with Chicken-and-White-Bean Stew  (Food & Wine)

SERVES: 6

Allow time for the beans to soak overnight for this hearty stew.

ingredients

STEW
    1/2 pound dried white beans (about 1 cup), such as Great Northern (Or use canned)
    1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
    1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
    1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, plus 7 unpeeled whole cloves
    1 bay leaf
    3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
    1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
    1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
    1 ancho chile, stemmed and seeded
    Salt and freshly ground pepper
    2 cups shredded roasted chicken (about 3/4 pound)

ENCHILADAS
    1 large poblano chile
    1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    1 cup coarsely chopped sweet onion
    12 corn tortillas
    About 1/2 pound shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (2 1/2 cups)

1.    MAKE THE STEW: In a bowl, soak the beans in cold water overnight. Drain the beans and put them in a saucepan. Add the stock, onion, minced garlic, bay leaf, oregano, thyme and 1 1/2 cups water.

2.    Heat a small skillet. Add the cumin seeds and cook over low heat just until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and crush to a coarse powder; add to the beans. Add the ancho to the skillet and toast until softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds per side. Cut the chile into 4-inch pieces and add to the beans. Cover partially and simmer until the beans are tender but not mushy, about 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt about 10 minutes before the beans are done. Pick out and discard the bay leaf and chile pieces.

3.    Toast the unpeeled garlic in the skillet over moderate heat, turning, until softened and blackened in spots, about 12 minutes. Peel and mince the garlic, then stir it into the beans. Stir in the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until heated through; keep warm.

4.    MAKE THE ENCHILADAS: Roast the poblano over a gas flame or under the broiler until charred all over. Transfer the chile to a bowl, cover and let cool. Peel, seed and chop the chile.

5.    Preheat the oven to 350°. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and poblano and cook over high heat until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil in the skillet until shimmering. Using tongs, dip both sides of a tortilla into the hot oil just until softened, about 10 seconds. Pat dry with paper towels and set the tortilla on a work surface. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

6.    Arrange 6 of the tortillas on a large baking sheet and top with the onion mixture and half of the cheese. Cover with the remaining 6 tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for about

10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Transfer the enchiladas to large plates, top with the hot stew and serve.

7.   Garnish with cilantro--and serve with a good bottle of beer,

Comments

[Christine]

Hey there Sher, Are we both up late or what? Great recipe and photos. This is one my husband will love.
As for the recipe index: mine is sitting in my drafts folder where I take it out, frown at it and put it away again, at least once a week!

[sher]

LOL!! Yes, I'm up late!! I'm very dissatified with the look of my blog--but if I can't even do a recipe index, how can I redesign it? :)

This was a a good recipe, but I'm ga ga over anything with corn tortillas!

[gattina]

Sher,
you know the magazine people have some specialist (food stylist) to arrange the food "just" for photo. Very often I see the ingredients even not fully cooked (less soft so looks better in pic). But hey, your photo is great! and I know your dish always tastes good too!

[Tanna]

That looks super good, yeah I'm a nut for corn tortillas also! Love roasting the peppers - I've always put mine in paper bags. Must try this one.
Well, my recipe index is only a gleam in my eye. It seems that talking on the phone and cooking are better skills to have anyway!

[aria]

never roasted a pepper, charring it up and then revealing that gorgeous emerald color is something i must do asap!! this looks so delish, i think if you have an extra room you should turn it into a mini bed and breakfast. all your meals make me drool. droooool, see?

[Rosa]

That looks delicious and very comforting! And I love tortillas...

[cookiecrumb]

In your photo, it looks like the enchilada stack is floating in heaven.
I can't believe how good this sounds. And I have a feeling it's easier to make than one might think, staring at that dauntingly long recipe. Heck, it's just food! You cook it and assemble it and eat it!
Brill.

[sher]

Gattina,

Yes, the photo in the magazine could not possibly be made according to the recipe, as theirs was much too tall. The middle is just filled with cheese, which melts. Regardless, it was really good!

Tanna,

Yes, if you can cook something that requires two hands, while you have the phone tucked under your chin, I think it's a real skill! :):) I should put that on my resume!

Aria,

I know about drooling--when I look at your photos. I go back sometimes and look at those pear muffins on your site. Yum to the max!

Rosa,

I can't imagine life without tortillas. And I can usually find some kind of leftovers to roll them around! :):)

Cookiecrumb,

The recipe is long and I think it makes the recipe seem more labor intensive than it was. I did cook dry beans, but canned beans could be used. And the great thing about the stew is that it can be made ahead of time--which is what I did. I sort of wandered off while it was cooking. And I forgot to mention that I used roasted shredded chicken from a grocery store. This was actually a pretty simple meal--and great tasting. But, you know, just wave a tortilla at me and I'm yours!

[Ari (Baking and Books)]

As soon as I saw this picture I immediately licked my lips. Damn that looks good!!

[Teresa]

That looks so delicious; I wish I had the ingredients to make it right now. I even have a whole package of corn tortillas that have been waiting for a recipe like this!

[Glenna]

That looks so good and uncomplicated and so not a cliche, if you know what I mean. I really like the thought of those flavors together.

[JMom]

this sounds like a perfect recipe just about now :) I love the idea of combining the textures.

[bill bushwacker]

That looks so good! If I wasn't so lazy, I would cook it up, but then I would deep fry the dish in a fry daddy to really make it good. Everything is better deep fried!

http://www.bushwackersreview.blogspot.com

[Julie Tilsner]

Oh God Sher. I should know better than to come to your site when I'm starving....
That just looks so delicious....I might have to run out for a Mexican food for lunch...
Roasting peppers? Dare I try it??