Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

• canola oil or peanut oil
• 12 corn tortillas (softened by frying gently in a little oil)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup salsa (your preference as to spiciness)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup of canned crushed tomatoes
• olive oil
• 1 lb monterey jack cheese or mild cheddar cheese or longhorn cheese, grated (or any mild yellow cheese)
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce

Directions

1. 1

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. 2

   2. In a large fry pan at high heat, add 3 T of peanut or canola oil. Add a tortilla to the pan. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift up the tortilla with a spatula, add another tortilla underneath. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift again, both tortillas, and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat the process with all the tortillas, adding a little more oil if needed. This way you can brown and soften the tortillas without using a lot of fat. You do this process to develop the flavor of the tortillas. As the tortillas brown a little, remove from the pan one by one to rest on a paper towel, which absorbs any excess fat.

3. 3

   3. Saute up the chopped onion and garlic, then turn off the heat. Add 1 cup of salsa. Dissolve 3 T of tomato paste into 1 cup of water, add to pan. Add 1 cup of crushed canned tomatoes. Taste. If the sauce tastes too vinegary, add a teaspoon of sugar.

4. 4

   4. Put some olive oil on the bottom of a large casserole pan. Take a tortilla, cover 2/3 of it lightly with the shredded cheese, then roll up the tortilla and place it in the casserole pan. Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled. Add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the the casserole pan. Make sure all are covered with the sauce. If not, add a little water. Cover the whole thing with the rest of the grated cheese. Put the casserole in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

5. 5

   5. Garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Serve with sliced iceberg lettuce that has been dressed only with vinegar and salt.