You can save $500.00 off our very special Oaxaca Culinary Tour by registering  this week by October  12.  Airfares are really discounted also, especially on the discounted sites such as Cheap-O, Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak and Orbitz.  March has perfect weather in Oaxaca, and will offer a welcome Spring treat to yourself.  We will have three cooking classes to learn hands on how to create some of Oaxaca's super specialties, as well as tour ancient sites, visit villages where  handmade pottery and special wood carvings are featured and enjoy chef's special dinners.  If you like to shop, you will  love the various offerings in the shops.

This week is Balloon Week here in the Albuquerque area and was so beautiful this morning with the fly over of tons of brilliantly colored balloons.  I am showing some on Facebook at Jane Butel's Southwest Cooking.   

This week we are especially fortunate to have Lou's granddaughter visiting us from Georgetown University in Washington D.C, where she is majoring in International studies and  Political Science. The night before last, we made margaritas, guacamole, tamales, carne adobada, posole with garni and pickled cole slaw.   We were too full to enjoy the Bizcochitas and Empanadas .

I would like to invite you to come and cook with us in the November 9 - 11 full participation weekend class where New Mexico's yummy and unique specialties will be made in 3 full participation cooking sessions.   For the last few spaces, I have just placed them on a half price discount of only $525.00.

And last week's special "Chili Madness" 3rd edition cookbook that was just re-published by Turner last month is  still on sale for just $14.00 autographed.  The 2nd edition is on sale now also for $12.00.

Red chile ristras are dotting our landscape now and look so beautiful against our purply blue skies.  The custom of stringing chiles to make ristras was begun as an efficient way to get the chiles dried before storing them for winter use.  Many now purchase them as merely a decorative feature.  If you want to cook with them, dry the chiles, then place them in bags for your cooking pleasure.  If you let the chiles stay on the strings or ristras,  for months, the flavor and nutrition are greatly flawed.  For your enjoyment, I am placing our hot and mild red chiles on a 25% off discount along with our fresh, fresh cumin until the end of the week, October 12. 

Here's my favorite red chile sauce and enchilada recipe.  I like to make the enchiladas flat as you get much more sauce and they are more yummy!

     
Red Chile Beef Enchiladas
(Rolled  or  Flat Style) 

This is one of my very favorite dishes, especially when made with blue corn tortillas.  It is a popular custom in New Mexico to place a soft-fried egg on top of each enchilada as soon as they come out of the oven.

Yield:  4-6 servings

Vegetable oil if making rolled enchiladas
12 white, yellow or blue corn tortillas
2 cups Red Chile Sauce (recipe attached), made with beef
About 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese or a mix of the two 
1 onion, chopped (may be cooked into the sauce)
4 to 6 eggs (optional), soft fried
6 to 8 lettuce leaves (optional), coarsely chopped
2 ripe tomatoes (optional), cut in wedges

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Heat ½ inch of oil in a heavy skillet if making rolled enchiladas--omit for flat ones.  Add tortillas and fry lightly in batches, being careful not to make them too crisp to roll.  

2. For Flat Enchiladas:  Place a little chile sauce on a plate, then top with a tortilla followed by cheese, onion, and more sauce.  Repeat once or twice more, making a stack of 2 or 3 tortillas layered with cheese, onion, and sauce (see Note).  Top each enchilada with more sauce and cheese.  Place in the preheated oven until the cheese melts.  Top with an egg, if desired, and garnish with the chopped lettuce and tomato wedges.  These are traditional flat style.

3. For Rolled Enchiladas:  Dip a lightly fried tortilla into the sauce and place a strip each of shredded cheese and chopped onion down the center.  Roll up, place 2 rolled enchiladas on each  plate, and top with more sauce and cheese.  Place in oven until cheese melts.  Arrange lettuce around the edges before serving.

Note:  Three tortillas make a very hearty serving.  Most people prefer two.
 

Red Chile Sauce 

This is the basic red chile sauce used to create enchiladas and to serve over burritos, chile rellenos, tamales, and chimichangas.

Yield:  2-1/2 cups

2 Tablespoons butter, lard or bacon drippings
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground mild red chile
1/4 cup ground hot red chile
2 cups beef stock or water
1 garlic clove, crushed
Pinch of ground Mexican oregano
Pinch of ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt (if not using stock)

1. Melt butter in a medium-size saucepan over low heat.  Add flour and stir until smooth and slightly golden.

2. Remove pan from heat and add ground chiles.  Return to heat and gradually stir in stock.  Add garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt, if using, and cook, stirring, about 10 minutes.  Simmer at least 5 more minutes for flavors to blend.

VARIATION:
Sauté 1 pound ground beef, or beef cut in very small cubes.  Omit the shortening, and continue as directed above.  Use for enchiladas.