Guest Author - Amy McDaniel

Standard enchiladas combine a basic red sauce with loads of Monterey Jack. This version offers more than a few variations on the theme. The sauce is a balance of the nuttiness of toasted pumpkin seeds, tart tomatillos, and the heat of serrano chilies. The strong bite of queso fresco allows a reduction in the amount of cheese without sacrificing taste. Shrimp and sauteed veggies offer a refreshing change from chicken or beef.

Pay attention to the consistency of the sauce. If you do not add enough chicken broth, it may clump when you bake it. The recipe indicates "the consistency of heavy cream," so remember that cream pours smoothly.

Don't worry too much about the appearance of this dish once it's cooked. Enchiladas are comfort food.


Recipe

For the Sauce:

1 cup hulled green pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup lightly packed cilantro sprigs
1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
2 serrano chilies, chopped with seeds
6 tablespoons chopped white onion
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

In a dry skillet toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat, stirring, until they pop around in the pan, start to brown, and release their aromas, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. When seeds are cool, grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or blender. Put the ground pumpkin seeds, cilantro, tomatillos, Serrano chiles, onion, oregano, cumin, salt, and 2 cups of the broth in a blender. Puree as smooth as possible. If the sauce is too thick, add enough broth to make the mixture the consistency of heavy cream.

For the enchiladas:

1 pound small shrimp
8 medium mushrooms, chopped
6 green onions, chopped with 2 inches of green
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
salt & pepper
12 corn tortillas
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
Mexican crema (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray and sauté shrimp until just pink (2 to 3 minutes).
Set aside shrimp aside and sauté mushrooms, green onions and red bell pepper until slightly soft, using more cooking spray if necessary.
Combine shrimp and vegetables.
Spray a 9" x 12" oven-proof pan with cooking spray.
Wrap corn tortillas in paper towels and microwave 45 to 60 seconds to soften.
Put about 2 tablespoons of shrimp and vegetable mixture on a corn tortilla. Sprinkle a small amount of crumbled queso fresco on shrimp mixture, roll into a cylinder, and place seam-side down in prepared pan. Prepare remaining corn tortillas the same way, placing them side-by-side in the pan.
Pour pumpkin seed sauce over tortillas and sprinkle remaining queso fresco on top of sauce.
Cover pan loosely with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes (or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted).
Serve hot with Mexican crema, if desired.