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Thursday, May 25, 2023

Californio Enchiladas with a Chilean Chardonnay #WorldWineTravel

I make a lot of Enchiladas in this house as it is a favorite of our youngest child who still lives at home. This recipe, found at TASTE, is reported to have been passed down through the generations of families that arrived in California during the years of 1769 and 1833when the Missions were established.

Californio Enchiladas

I am sharing these enchiladas, that I paired with a Chilean Chardonnay, for our World Wine Travel event this month......

The World Wine Travel group meets once a month to explore the wines of different countries.  This year we are exploring South America.  

Cam of Culinary Cam is hosting this month.....

For the May #WorldWineTravel event, let's look at the first Vitis vinifera grape variety to be exported from the Old World (Spain) to the New World (Mexico) in the 16th Century. Known as País in Chile, Criolla in Argentina, and Mission in North America, find a bottle or two and join the conversation.

This was a great theme and a great idea, however it appears that it was not easily executed.  Only 3 of us were able to participate, two of whom live in California and so were able to source wine made from Mission grapes and myself who was unable to locate a wine from any of these varietals so chose instead to serve a food that may have been eaten with those Mission grapes.

Please make sure to stop by and learn what Cam and Gwendolyn thought of the wines they tried and what foods they decided to pair their wines with in the links below.   You may also want to learn what Cam thought of the Mission wine that she found.  She shares this in her Preview Post.

Enchiladas and Wine

I chose to pair my enchiladas with a Chardonnay from Chile that I had bought for next month's World Wine Travel when we are visiting the Coastal Regions of Chile.  I chose this wine because I had a bottle on hand and I am able to find another bottle for next month's event at Total Wine.

Blind Wine Tasting

I also chose to use this bottle as part of a blind tasting that we did to celebrate Chardonnay Day and the Judgment of Paris for our French Winophiles event last week.  You can read all about the results of our tasting in post, Chardonnay; Old World vs New World in Today's World.  Spoiler Alert: This was my favorite of the 3 Chards that I tasted that day.

three chardonnays

This Chardonnay from Carmen in Casa Blanca, Chile was purchased at Total Wine for $17.99. James Suckling review says:

"Spent 10 months in barrels. yellow in color, The nose offers notes of green apple and ginger cookie and layers of oak and hazelnut. A little spiky in the mouth, with moderate tension: the feel is saline and voluminous."

Here is what I wrote in my tasting notes.  

 Nearly clear in color, citrus on the nose, bright juicy and acidic.

The enchilada recipe is vegetarian and very rich.  The bright acidity of the wine cut through the richness and was a very nice pairing.  I think this wine would pair very nicely with seafood as well.

I adapted the recipe that I am sharing by using premade enchilada sauce instead of making my own.  I used 1 large Vidalia onion instead of the 3 medium onions called for and Cotija cheese in place of the Queso Seco.  I also did not put any olives inside the enchiladas but rather used them as garnish because Frank has an aversion to olives.


Entrees, vegetarian, Cheese, enchiladas, onions, meatless
Entrees
Californio
Yield: 3 servings
Author: Wendy Klik
Californio Enchiladas

Californio Enchiladas

Cheese and onions wrapped in a flour tortilla, covered in enchilada sauce and baked to a gooey goodness.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 oz) can red enchilada sauce
  • canola oil
  • 6 flour tortillas
  • 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 8 oz. Cotija cheese, crumbled
  • pitted black olives for garnish

Instructions

  1. Place a bit of the oil in a skillet over med high heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
  2. Add about 2 inches more canola oil to the skillet and warm over low heat.
  3. Place the enchilada sauce in a second skillet and bring to a simmer.
  4. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, fry each in the oil until it puffs up, then dredge in the enchilada sauce covering both sides. Lay onto a plate and sprinkle some onions and cheese onto it. Roll into a tube and place into a 9" square baking pan that has been treated with cooking spray. Repeat until all 6 enchiladas are used.
  5. Pour a little of the remaining sauce onto the enchildas and sprinkle with any remaining cheese. Bake in a preheated 350* oven for about 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Garnish with olives, if desired, and serve.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe found at TASTE

Nutrition Facts

Calories

470.3

Fat (grams)

26.82 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

12.28 g

Carbs (grams)

41.19 g

Fiber (grams)

3.32 g

Net carbs

37.87 g

Sugar (grams)

7.83 g

Protein (grams)

16.62 g

Sodium (milligrams)

1483.75 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

67.28 mg

2 comments:

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