Enchiladas (Mexican)

Method

Un-peel the garlic clove. Blot the moisture from the roast with paper towels. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium a flame - until water beads form when cold water is dropped on its surface. Melt 2 Tbl of lard in the pan and brown the chuck roast. Degrease the pan. Pour a quantity of water or beer, sufficient to cover the roast. Throw in the Guajillo pepper, garlic and salt to taste. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover then cut the heat to a slow simmer. Braise for 3 hours or until fork tender. Remove meat from pan, allowing it to cool slightly. Shred beef - surgically - with two forks. Hit the meat with a mega-dose of chile d'arbol and cumin powder.

Before dunking into the mole, soften and partially dry out the corn tortillas. Heat up a skillet over a medium flame, place tortillas (one at a time) into the pan. Heat on each side for about 30 seconds.

Preheat the broiler.

Carefully place corn tortillas (one at a time) into the simmering red mole, submerging and saturating both sides. (Tortillas can disintegrate when in contact with moisture.) Fill a tortilla with a heap of the shredded beef and roll it up into a cigar shape. Place it on broiler proof dish, top with shredded cheese and broil until cheese bubbles. Repeat with more tortillas until the meat is no more. Serve the leftover mole on the side.

note

Two batches of the enchilada sauce, below, may be substituted for the red chile sauce above.

Enchilada sauce

Method

De-stem and de-seed the chile pods. Process the chiles and cumin seed in a coffee grinder to a fine powder. Place a small sauce pan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the chile powder, cumin, garlic powder and salt to taste. Whisk for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the cornstach. Whisk. Pour in the water. Whisk until the sauce achieves the consistency of thin tomato sauce. Remove the pan from the heat.