Tabasco Style Enchiladas with a Picadillo filling.

Enchiladas Tabasqueñas Recipe

Every Sunday morning while I was living on Gregorio Mendez Avenue in Villahermosa, Tabasco, I would see people passing by during the morning hours going to a house across the street. They were usually holding an empty plate in their hands, but after a while, they would come out of the house with the plate covered with aluminum foil. That happened every weekend until one day I asked my next door neighbor what went on inside that house every Sunday morning.

“Oh, Enchiladas!”, she told me, “They sell enchiladas every Sunday morning, and if you want to buy some you order the day before and just come back early in the morning to pick them up, but you have to bring your own plate.” You can imagine my face of amazement after she told me that.
And yes, the next Sunday morning I was there too, with my plate in hand. It was love at first bite.

Photo taken by Berenice Zambrano, to see more of her work click HERE

Tabasco is a state in the southern part of the country along the Gulf of Mexico, its name means “Flooded Land” in Nahuatl. Tabasco has been blessed with fertile soils. One of its famous poets Carlos Pellicer once wrote: “Tabasco, espejo roto sobre manto verde.”(Tabasco, a broken mirror over a green tablecloth). This is referring to the many rivers and streams in Tabasco, two of which are among Mexico’s major rivers.

The Usumacinta River and the Grijalva river, plus many other small rivers, are surrounded by a tropical forest. When you travel by plane over this beautiful land you will know what he meant about the mirror and green tablecloth. I hope to tell you more about the rich culture of this State in future posts.

But now lets start cooking, for this recipe you will need a little extra time to prepare the enchilada filling, or better yet, you can make it a day ahead. These Enchiladas are not spicy, some cooks make their own sauce using Ancho peppers and spices instead of using Mole sauce.

Enchiladas Tabasqueñas Recipe

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DIRECTIONS:

• In a large skillet with the vegetable oil at medium high heat, cook the meat for about 5 minutes, then add the onion and garlic. (Please check the ingredients list below)
• Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the plantain, olives, raisins and almonds and keep cooking, breaking up the meat into small pieces. Cook until meat is opaque, about 7 minutes.
• Add the tomato, stir, and cover. Reduce heat and simmer until most of the juices have been absorbed.  Season with salt and pepper.

• Warm the corn tortillas on a griddle over medium heat.
• Cover with a kitchen napkin to keep them warm.
• To prepare the enchiladas, spoon some of the mole sauce over the tortilla and then add about 2 tablespoons of the picadillo.
• Roll up the tortilla and arrange, seam side down, on the serving plates and keep forming the rest of the enchiladas.
• To serve, spoon mole sauce over the rolled tortillas, top with crumbled cheese and garnish with the onion slices.

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TABASCO STYLE ENCHILADAS WITH A PICADILLO FILLING.

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 12 Enchiladas

Author: Mely Martinez - México in my kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Ground beef
• ½ cup of white onion finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic cloves minced
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil.
• ¾ Plantain chopped Optional
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup chopped or sliced almonds
• ¼ cup green olives finely sliced
• 1 ½ cup tomato diced
• 2 ½ cups of prepared Mole Sauce*
• 2/3 cup of fresh crumbled cheese
• 12 corn tortillas
• Some slices of white onion to top the enchiladas
• Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

1. In a large skillet with the vegetable oil at medium high heat, cook the meat for about 5 minutes, then add the onion and garlic.
2. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the plantain, olives, raisins and almonds and keep cooking, breaking up the meat into small pieces. Cook until meat is opaque, about 7 minutes.

3. Add the tomato, stir, and cover. Reduce heat and simmer until most of the juices have been absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Warm the corn tortillas on a griddle over medium heat.
5. Cover with a kitchen napkin to keep them warm.
6. To prepare the enchiladas, spoon some of the mole sauce over the tortilla and then add about 2 tablespoons of the picadillo.
7. Roll up the tortilla and arrange, seam side down, on the serving plates and keep forming the rest of the enchiladas.
8. To serve, spoon mole sauce over the rolled tortillas, top with crumbled cheese and garnish with the onion slices.

Recipe Notes

* You can use Store Bought Mole Sauce and prepare according to the instructions on the jar.

** Some cooks prefer to dip the tortilla into the mole sauce first and then place the filling.

***If you prefer your raisins, plantain and olives less tender, add them about 3 minutes before the final simmering.

¡Buen provecho!
Mely,

We have several types of enchiladas: red, green, with mole, bean sauce, and many more. What are your favorite enchiladas? Please share with me in the comments below.

More recipes:
Quick Enchiladas Suizas
Chile Colorado with Pork and Nopales

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