Sunday, May 27, 2012

Casa Ole Enchiladas Attempt #2

So, being a Texas girl displaced, I constantly crave some of the foods from home.  Houston is a huge city, with amazing cuisine, and it's funny how one of the things I miss most are the cheap Tex-Mex enchiladas from Casa Ole.  I have attempted them once before.  I did some research on enchilada gravy and started from a roux-based one.  This is what I have so far, though it may still need some tweaking.  Also, please keep in mind that while I did use measuring spoons to attempt to record this the best I could, some values may be approximate.

Enchilada Gravy

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp chili powder (I used Mexican chili powder I found on sale up here, not sure if it made a difference)
4 cups tomato broth (tomato bouillon and water)

I used my cast iron skillet for this, by the way:  Heat oil over medium heat and add flour like you are making roux for gumbo.  Basically, for those who haven't done gumbo roux, you make sure your oil is hot, and then add your flour, stirring quickly with a whisk.  Stir constantly and don't let the flour burn.  If it burns, chunk it and start over.  There is nothing worse than burned roux.  Okay, maybe burned popcorn.  But, I digress.  Let your roux cook for few minutes, while stirring, until it turns light brown in color, about the color of peanut butter.  Add your dry ingredients, and continue cooking for one minute.  I measure them out in advance into a little bowl, and when the roux is ready, just dump them in together to keep from burning my flour.  Once your mixture has cooked for one minute, add the tomato broth and stir until it is mixed.  Bring it to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes-ish or until at desired thickness.  Casa Ole doesn't have very thick sauce, which is the mistake I made last time.

The gravy as it simmers

The Rest of the Deal

2 dozen corn tortillas
3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded taco cheese

Preheat your oven to 325.  Once you have your sauce, pour half of it into the bottom of your casserole dish.  Heat some cooking oil in a small pan and run your corn tortillas through the oil until they float, and pull them out.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese (at least a tablespoon-ish?) in the middle of each tortilla and roll it up.  Smoosh them as close as you can together.  I have found that it will keep the cheese from running out too much.  I have found that my pan will fit two dozen, though you may have to trial and error.  I tend to err on the side of caution with a new pan:  cook a few tortillas, roll and place them, figure out how many more will fit, etc.  Once you place them all, pour the remainder of your sauce on top.  Some people like to run the tortillas through the sauce, but I found that to make it too saucey on the inside, and I didn't care for it.  Then, sprinkle your taco cheese on top.  I don't always use both cups, sometimes if my pan is smaller (depending on how many I'm feeding), I use maybe a cup and a half or so.  Just eyeball it so that it looks good to you.  You'll be the one eating it, and maybe you like more cheese.  Maybe less.  You decide.  Anyhow, toss them in the oven and bake them for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until your cheese melts and gets nice and gooey.  I don't like my cheese to brown on my enchiladas.  I think it dries them up too much.

Pre-oven

Anyhow, if you have any modifications or suggestions, let me know.  I think this one was pretty darn close, but it doesn't mean it can't improve!

6 comments:

  1. I had a conversation with my mother yesterday, and I had an epiphany. I know exactly where I went wrong on this! The sauce was still too thick coming out of the oven, so the next time I make them, I plan to use half of the sauce on the bottom, so the tortillas don't stick, and to roll cheese into the enchiladas, but to NOT put the remaining gravy or cheese on top. Once it comes out of the oven, I will top the already hot enchiladas with gravy and the cheese, which will naturally melt due to heat from underneath rather than heat from the oven. This way, I can keep the sauce from thickening too much. Brilliant! I plan to try it in the next couple of days, and will let everyone know how it goes.

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    1. Hi Chels, Thank you for sharing this, maybe i can help ya a bit since Casa Ole's is an orangy color... Maybe mix the roux and keep it as white as possible, maybe an off white color.. then go from there... or my idea was and i was still thinking thru it... but start with a chicken broth base and add the seasons then a little tomato sauce, and corn starch to thicken it? it wont let me sign in so contact me via Facebook we can solve the casa ole mystery Gravy LOL Michelle TC Thompson Crawford... i have an amweican flag eagle... for my profile picture.. :D

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  2. I'm going to try this. We are also displaced from SE TX and my 16 year old daughter said she wanted Casa Ole enchiladas. Thanks

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  3. I'm going to try this. We are also displaced from SE TX and my 16 year old daughter said she wanted Casa Ole enchiladas. Thanks

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  4. I too am displaced from SETex and now live in the Midwest. The food is awful 😩. Thank you for this recipe.

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  5. I live in Louisiana now but from Houston Texas. I’ve tried this recipe multiple times and I agree w melting the cheese and come out the oven. That way they don’t come out to soggy. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

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