Amanda De Jager Friedman: A hankering for Mexican food

There's something about a hearty, bubbling pan of enchiladas that can make your belly growl like a grizzly.

Considering the substantial Mexican influence on California dining, most all of us seem to have a consistent hankering for what we know as Mexican food.

Delicious slow-cooked meat, wrapped in a tortilla, topped with sauce and cheese -- does it get much better? I don't think so either.

I never considered how much I loved good enchiladas until I moved to Michigan for college.

Nothing against Michigan, but in the city where I was attending school, they didn't know good Mexican food from mashed potatoes.

Determined to prove to my Midwest cronies that I knew how to throw down a solid fiesta, I relied on my best memories of homemade enchiladas and came up with this recipe.

This is a big batch, but it freezes well, so you can have enchiladas again whenever you crave them -- just pull them out of the freezer and pop them in the oven.

You'll have to excuse this dairy girl's wicked addition of cream cheese to the chicken filling.

I'm well aware of the fact that this trivializes the ethnic authenticity of the dish, but your concern for the enchilada's validity will dwindle with each creamy bite.

And please, whatever you do -- make homemade sauce. It's worth every bit of effort.

Amanda De Jager Friedman owns the Piano Caffe in Merced.

RECIPE: Renegade Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken:

3-4 lbs. chicken breast

1 jar of your favorite salsa

Salt and pepper

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 bunch green onions, white and green parts, sliced

1 cup enchilada sauce

Sauce:

1 yellow onion, finely diced

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup flour

Cooking liquids from chicken

1 28-oz. can El Pato Tomato Sauce (yellow can in the Hispanic section)

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

4 cups water or chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican oregano

2 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

24 medium-size flour tortillas

6 cups grated cheddar or Monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place chicken breast in a single layer in a baking dish. Season generously with salt and pepper, then dump salsa over top of chicken. Cover with foil and bake for two and a half hours. Remove from oven, uncover and let cool for a few minutes. Carefully pour the cooking juices from the chicken into a bowl and reserve.

Using two forks, gently shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the cream cheese, green onions, and one cup of the enchilada sauce (recipe follows). Mix well.

Sauce directions:

In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute diced onion until translucent, about five minutes. Add flour, and stir with a wooden spoon, cooking for about two minutes more. Whisk in cooking liquids from chicken, then add the El Pato and the water or stock. Continue whisking until the mixture is consistent. Add the oregano, cumin, chili powder and salt. Bring to a boil, and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes while flavors combine. For a very smooth sauce, use an immersion blender to puree completely. I'm a renegade, though, and don't mind the chunkier sauce.

To assemble:

Place a few cups of sauce in a pie plate and plunge each tortilla in the sauce to coat one side. Put the sauced side up in a 9 x 13 baking dish, and scoop about 1/2 cup of the chicken filling in a straight line down the center of the tortilla. Roll tightly and scoot the enchilada to one of the far sides of the pan. Repeat until the pan is full, about 10 enchiladas. You should be able to make at least two full pans with this recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Top rolled enchiladas with remaining sauce, then cheese. Bake, covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Garnish with sliced avocado.