Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

These chicken and black bean enchiladas are made with corn tortillas are wrapped around tender chicken, black beans and cheese and smothered with spicy homemade enchilada sauce, then baked till the cheese is all bubbly and more-ish. Never use that packet or canned enchilada sauce again! Homemade is simple and way more delicious. 

Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt your scheduled Middle Eastern meal, part 2, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!  Which, by the way, is in no way the celebration of Mexico’s independence from anywhere.  Historically, it commemorates the Mexican Army’s unexpected victory over French forces in 1862.  Guess which date?  But in the southern United States, it has become a day to honor and celebrate Mexican heritage and culture.  We held our own little celebration with margaritas and chicken enchiladas right here in Cairo.  Just like the American Association of Malaysia used to have a Cinco de Mayo party.  (Remind me to tell you of the time we made a HUGE soccer ball piñata and I cooked Spanish rice for 100 - in a Styrofoam cooler.  It’s a great recipe!)  It is what expats do.   Any excuse for a celebration that reminds us of home.

Ingredients

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons dark chili (seasoning) powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin powder

2 medium onions

1 14 oz or 398g can crushed tomatoes

Olive oil

For the filling:

1 teaspoon sea salt

18oz or 520g skinless boneless chicken breasts

140g cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheeses

1 14 oz or 398g can black or pinto beans

(3/4 cup or 180ml of the sauce)

To assemble:

12 fresh soft white corn tortillas

140g Cheddar and/or Jack cheeses

Method

Fill a pot with enough water to cover your chicken breasts.  Bring it to the boil and add the chicken breasts and the sea salt.  

Once it begins to boil again, turn it down to simmer and cover.  Cook gently for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken breasts are cooked through.  Take them out and allow them to cool.  (This can be done a day ahead.)

Next, chop your onions and sauté them in a generous amount of olive oil.   

Once the onions have softened, add in the chili powder, the cumin and the crushed tomatoes.  

Add an extra tomato can of water to the pot.  Bring to the boil and then simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Grate your cheese/cheeses and set aside.

Rinse the canned beans.

Chop the cooled chicken up into small pieces.

When the sauce has simmered for about 20-30 minutes, give it a last good stir and take it off the fire.  

Add 3/4 cup or 180ml of the sauce to the chicken.  Stir thoroughly then add 140g (or half the total) cheese and stir again.  Add in the rinsed beans and mix once more.

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Spread some sauce in the bottom of your baking dish.

Taking one soft tortilla at a time (I covered the others with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out.) add the filling and fold in the sides.  Place seam side down in the baking pan.  Continue until all the tortillas are filled. 

Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas and spread it around. 

If there is any filling left over, this can be sprinkled on the top the sauce.  Top with the remaining cheese. 

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and brown the cheese under the broiler or grill for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Serve with a side of sliced avocado with a little lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.  And a margarita. Don’t forget the margarita!

Enjoy!

Arepas with Pulled Pork and Black Bean Corn Salsa

What inspires you to cook?  For me, it can be something as simple and as fleeting as a Facebook mention by a friend of a meal she is eating.  Sometime this summer, my friend and former college roommate, Susi, went to Miami with her beautiful daughter.  She posted a photo of an arepa with pulled pork in a restaurant and it looked so delicious that her meal has been in the back of my mind ever since.  She has probably not given it a second thought!  I just went back to find the photo, only to discover that she had shredded chicken in her arepa!  But never mind.  I made pulled pork!  Because that’s what I’ve been dreaming about for weeks.

Ingredients for four stuffed arepas with leftover pork and two generous servings of salsa. Everything can be easily doubled or trebled, if your crockpot is big enough.

For the pork:

2 pieces of pork shoulder – 1/2 kilo or about a pound total

1 large yellow onion

6 cloves of garlic

Sea salt

Black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Water

Method

Mash the garlic with the side of a knife and then chop coarsely.

Slice your onion thickly and place them in the bottom of a slow cooker or crockpot. 

Put the pork on top of the onion and season with salt, pepper and cumin.

Scatter the garlic around and fill the basin with enough water to come halfway up the pork.

Put on the lid and cook on high for five to six hours.

Take the lid off and use the pork and onions to rub the lovely brown stuff off of the sides of the crockpot.  

Use two forks to shred the pork.  Check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

For the arepas:

1 cup or 150g of Harina P.A.N.

1 1/4 cups or 295ml lukewarm water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Add the salt to the Harina P.A.N. and pour this into a bowl with the water and stir until it is completely absorbed and makes a soft dough.

Tip it out on the counter top and knead a few times. Divide your dough into four equal pieces.

Make a circle of each about three inches in diameter. Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Place on a hot griddle and brown both sides.  (Mine scorched a bit, as you can see. I think my fire was too high so be careful to keep it on a medium flame. Despite the color, they didn’t taste burnt at all though.)

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes.

For the salsa:

1/2 cob of boiled corn

1/2 small purple onion

2 small hot chilies

1 cup or 170g of cooked black beans

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Sea salt

Small bunch of fresh cilantro or coriander 

Method

Holding the stems, split the chilies down the middle and then chop them finely.

Slice the onion very thinly and then cut across to create tiny little pieces.

Add lime juice to the chilies and onion and leave them to marinate for at least 10 minutes. This takes the sharpness out of the onion and helps tame the heat of the chilies.

Finely chop the stems of the cilantro and add to the bowl, reserving the leaves for later.

Slice the corn off the cob, break the kernels apart and add to the bowl.  Mix thoroughly.

Add the black beans and mix again. Salt to taste.

Chop the coriander leaves roughly and add right before serving.

To serve all:  Slit the arepas and, using a slotted spoon, stuff them with the pork mixture. Add some extra hot sauce, if desired.  Each person gets two arepas and a good serving of salsa.

Enjoy!