Enchiladas- Made From Scratch!

Making enchiladas from scratch is easier than you might think. The homemade tortillas and sauce are far tastier than anything you can buy. And if you have a kitchen mill, you can grind your own grain and give your taste buds a treat they will never forget. Freshly milled grain is also high in essential fatty acids and vitamin E, which are removed from commercial flours to extend their shelf life. In the slide show above, I used half popcorn, which makes and excellent corn meal, and half hard red wheat berries, although replacing the wheat with unbleached white flour makes a more manageable dough.

Corn Tortillas

Ingredients:

1 cup corn meal

1 cup unbleached white or whole wheat flour

2 T vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients with your hands and knead until soft and smooth. Divide dough into 12 balls. Press in tortilla press lined with a quart size plastic resealable bag, torn open at the seams, or roll out to about a 6" diameter. Cook on hot griddle or skillet for about a minute on each side or until slightly brown in spots. Set aside when done, stacking the tortillas in a pile to keep soft.

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups tomato sauce (see my hub on how to make your own)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

several drops hot sauce

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

Mix all ingredients in saucepan and heat till warm.

Assembling the Enchiladas

Preheat oven to 350F. Dip tortillas in warm sauce and place in 13"x 9" baking dish. Spoon in fillings of choice- shredded cheese, refried beans or black beans, fresh onions or peppers, mushrooms and onions sauted in oil until tender. Fold over the sides of the tortillas and top with more shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese in melted. Garnish with shredded lettuce, cilantro, freshly chopped tomatoes and sour cream and serve with additional hot sauce if desired.