Dinner Party: Enchiladas and Tortilla Soup

On September 13, I invited Jinny, Jon, Chrissie and Matt for a Mexican-themed vegetarian meal. Because I was hosting two dinner parties in a row, I served the blueberry ice cream from the previous night as a way of making the meal planning a little easier. I ended up taking more time than I expected on the recipes, but the meals turned out well, and it was a fun time.

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Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• 6 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 poblano chili
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 14 1/2-ounce cans vegetable broth
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, cubed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut 2 tortillas into matchstick-size strips. Arrange strips on baking sheet; spray with nonstick spray. Sprinkle with chili powder; toss. Bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Set aside. Char poblano chili over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in plastic bag 10 minutes. Peel, seed and finely chop chili. Set aside. Stir cumin seeds in heavy small skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer to spice grinder; process until finely ground. Set aside.

Cut 4 tortillas into 1-inch pieces. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add tortilla pieces; cook until crisp and golden, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add poblano chili, onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juices and cumin. Simmer gently over medium-low heat 20 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm before serving.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with avocado, cilantro and tortilla strips.

Notes:
I liked how the soup turned out; it was pretty flavorful. If I made the recipe again, I might try to do more preparation ahead of time. Also, I might have used ground cumin rather than working with cumin seeds, because it would simplify the recipe without making a difference in terms of flavor.

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Two-Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3 1/2 cups (packed) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 14 ounces)
• 2 cups bottled mild green taco sauce
• 1 4-ounce can diced mild green chilies
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 5 tablespoons corn oil
• 12 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas
• Additional chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix ricotta, 2 1/2 cups Monterey Jack, 1/2 cup taco sauce, chilies, onions and 1/4 cup cilantro in large bowl. Season filling with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Using tongs, add tortillas 1 at a time to oil; fry just until softened, about 5 seconds per side. Transfer tortillas to paper towels and drain.

Spread 1 cup taco sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon generous 1/4 cup filling into center of 1 tortilla. Fold bottom of tortilla over filling; roll up tortilla to enclose filling. Place seam side down in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Top with 1/2 cup taco sauce and 1 cup Monterey Jack.

Bake enchiladas uncovered until heated through, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with additional cilantro.

Notes:
Monterey Jack cheese melts really easily, which can make it slightly difficult to deal with. I found that it was a little hard to serve the enchiladas without having them fall apart possibly because there were too many in the baking dish. I did like the two-cheese filling.