Beef Enchiladas

We've made enchiladas many times, but usually either vegetarian or seafood (oddly enough). I'd never made beef enchiladas, and actually don't usually order ground beef in Mexican restaurants, because I have a weird aversion to the texture of the loose meat. (I also don't usually like ground beef in pasta sauce, for the same reason.)

I flipped through all my Mexican cookbooks, but none had any guidance for me. What I did know is that you usually cook the filling first, as the time spent in the oven baking is more about heating the sauce and melting the cheese, and is not really intended to cook any meat. So with that limited knowledge, I winged it and made up the recipe as I went along. Here's what I came up with, which both Dan & I enjoyed quite a bit (while hiding out in our basement to beat the heat).

Beef Enchiladas
2 Tbsn oil
3 dried red thai chilies, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground beef
1 tspn cinnamon
1 Tbspn Mexican spice blend
1/2 tspn salt
Juice of 1 lime
8 corn tortillas
1 jar of tomatillo salsa
1/2 lb cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chilies, onion, and garlic and cook until onion is translucent and has reduced in size. Add beef and mix well, chopping the beef up with your spatula to make the pieces small. Add cinnamon, spice blend, and salt and mix to combine. Cook until beef is browned. Add lime juice and cook until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Warm tortillas in a small pan, or in the microwave just until softened and pliable. Add a generous spoonful of meat filling along the middle of each tortilla, then roll the tortilla up. Place in a 8x8 baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese on the tortillas. Cover with the salsa, and then top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. If cheese is not browned to your liking after 20 minutes, increase heat to 'broil', watch the dish, and remove when browned. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.