in the kitchen: bacon enchiladas

okay, so the words "bacon enchilada" really did float into my head one night just as i was falling asleep.  i decided that i needed to make this (almost) dream a reality.  but how to go about creating this mystical meal?  i could have taken the easy way and gone the breakfast-burrito route, but that seemed too simple for me.  i wanted something closer to a typical enchilada, except... baconfied. 

behold, gentle readers:  the bacon enchilada.

spicy bacony deliciousness in a tortilla.  it was huevos rancheros-inspired, minus the eggs, which means a dose of smoked paprika in honor of the chorizo traditionally used in huevos rancheros, sweet corn instead of a crisp corn tortilla, and a spicy ranchero sauce over top.  omnomnomnom.


ranchero sauce

• 1 dried ancho chile
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 chipotle in adobo
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbs oil
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 c cream
• salt and black pepper

directions

1.  heat a large skillet over medium heat. cut the top off of the ancho chile and shake out all of the seeds.  tear the ancho chile into large pieces and toast it in the skillet about 2 minutes. add the cumin and toast for another 2 minutes.  chop the chipotle into small pieces.  remove the skillet from the heat and add 1 cup hot water.  return the turn the heat to low. add the chopped chipotle and simmer for about fifteen minutes.

2.  preheat the broiler. put the sliced onion, and garlic cloves onto a roasting tray, spreading out evenly. drizzle with oil and season well with salt and pepper. broil about 10 minutes.

3.  add the chile mixture to a blender and puree. remove the roasted vegetables from the roasting pan and carefully add them to the blender. blend until smooth.  add tomato sauce, sugar, lime juice, and cream. taste it.  if it's too spicy, add some water.  (i added two chipotles to my recipe and YOWZA, that business was spicy.  hence all the tomato sauce and cream.  also, this made waaay more than i needed, so you might want to cut it in half or you can freeze the extra.)

bacon enchiladas

• 5 strips bacon
• 1 1/2 tsp bacon drippings
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• salt to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheese (or so)
• 5 whole-wheat tortillas

1.  preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  line a baking sheet (the type with edges) with tin foil.  arrange the bacon strips on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes or until crisp.  turn oven down to 350 degrees F.

2.  chop onion and garlic.  heat a skillet over medium-low heat.  add bacon drippings.  (if you want to cook the bacon in the skillet, feel free.  i'm just fully converted to baking my bacon.  it makes life so much easier.)  cook the onion and garlic until tender.  add smoked paprika.  add rinsed and drained black beans.  heat for five minutes.  lightly mash the beans with a fork.  add corn and chicken stock and stir.  add salt to taste and let simmer for five minutes.  chop or crumble bacon slices.  mix half of the bacon crumbles into the beans.

3.  divide the bean mixture evenly between the five tortillas.  sprinkle with cheese, then roll up enchilada-style and put them into a baking dish.  pour as much ranchero sauce over them as you'd like.  (the recipe above gives you plenty!)  cover with cheese and the remaining bacon crumbles.

4.  bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  serve with sour cream.