I like to make a batch of enchiladas and serve them as a side dish with steak, guacamole and rice or potatoes.

  Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas

2 cups grated cheddar cheese, preferably Tillamook

1 small onion, diced

1-2 chopped serrano chiles, optional

1½ cup enchilada cup sauce (recipe below)

½ cup vegetable, canola or corn oil

Sauce ingredients

Two cups chicken stock or premium chicken broth

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon chile powder

1 tablespoon ground red chile like chimayo or any other pure red chile

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon onion powder

*½ teaspoon white pepper

*½ teaspoon cumin

*½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:

Combine cheese, onion and chiles.

Prepare the sauce.

Prepare sauce. Heat a sauce pan on high heat and add canola oil. Add a little flour at a time and whisk into hot oil. Make sure the color stays light brown.  Once all the flour is whisked, slowly add half the stock and stir. Stir in the remaining ingredients, then the rest of the stock.

Continue at a steady boil until the sauce is reduced to a 1½ cups. Make sure the sauce isn’t too thick as it will bake with the enchiladas.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle with a rim and add enough oil to cover the bottom thoroughly.

Have a paper plate or paper-lined plate ready plus a 9 by 12 baking dish.

With a pair of tongs or a heat-resistant spatula, put a tortilla in the hot oil. Flip after 1-2 seconds, just long enough to make it limp. Drain and set on paper plate. Do the same with two more tortillas.

Using the first tortilla you cooked, place a two heaping spoonfuls of the cheese mixture on one side and roll up, making sure the mixture is evenly dispersed inside. Place the enchilada seam-side down in the dish.

Repeat until your supply of tortillas is exhausted, adding oil as needed. Reserve any remaining cheese, onion and chile.

Pour sauce over enchiladas, top with any remaining cheese mixture and bake for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling.

*To do the sauce justice, use whole black and white peppercorns and cumin seed. Toast them in a hot cast iron for about four minutes and grind into powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. It sounds like a lot of trouble, but it’s really pretty simple and the difference is dramatic.

Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa

Avocado gives the usually tart tomatillo a nice creamy finish. I like this salsa very spicy, so dial it down by using fewer chiles. When picking out tomatillos, look for those with rich, green color and healthy-looking husks.

1 pound tomatillos, stemmed, rinsed and husked

Half a white onion

4 serranos chiles or 3 jalapenos

3 cloves garlic, peeled

Half a bunch of cilantro, some sprig is fine

4 cups water

 1 large ripe Hass avocado

Bring the water to a boil and add all ingredients accept the avocado. Boil 4-6 minutes, until the onions, chiles and tomatillos are blanched.

Strain ingredients, reserving 2 cups of water.

 Remove from heat and let cool while you set up your food processor.

 Place ingredients, including avocado, in food processor with 1 cup of water and blend until smooth. Add remaining water a little at a time to thin the consistency if need be.

Place in freezer an hour before serving, or make a day or two ahead and store in the refrigerator. This works best well-chilled.

Salsa Roja

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 large clove garlic, peeled

2-5 fresh serrano or jalapeno chiles

¼ cup cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon salt

Half an onion, chopped

Black pepper to taste.

Place onion in food processor and chop. Remove to folded towels and wring out any liquid. Combine remaining ingredients in a food processor. Mix salsa with onions in a bowl, adjust salt and pepper.

Salsa Chile Arbol

1 pound roasted roma tomatos

2 cloves roasted garlic

8 Chiles de arbol

1/4 pound roasted tomatillos

2 teaspoon salt

1 teasooon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano

1/2 teaspoon toated cumin seed, groung

Black pepper to taste.

 Juice of one lime or 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Roast tomatoes, garlic and tomatillos whole, until black on all sides. This can be done on a hot cast-iron skillet or griddle, in the broiler or on the grill.

Combine ingredient in a food processor and pulse to desired consistency.

Guacamole is only as good as the avocados that you use. Find dark green, Haas avocados from California. Gently squeeze the bottom of the fruit in the palm of your hand. You want just a little give if you making it that day. If it’s mushy, move along. If it’s firm, save it in a brown paper bag for a couple days. If you want to slow the maturity of an avocado, put it in the refrigerator.

Serves 4-6

2 avocados

1 clove garlic

1½  teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice

Half a Roma tomato, diced

¼ red onion, diced.

Splash of orange juice

1 serrano or jalepeno chile, diced. (optional)

1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves (optional)

Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with the salt until it turns to paste, the consistency of applesauce.

If you like your guacamole chunkier, halve the fruit and cut the meat crosshatch into small cubes. Scoop out with a spoon.  Otherwise, simply scoop it out into a bowl and mix it with the garlic paste other remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings and amounts to suit your taste.

Serapio’s Tortilla Factory‎,

5024 SW 36 St., 942-2086‎

Tortilleria & Rosticeria Islas‎, 2404 SW 29 St., 632-5382‎

Tortilleria Lupita, 235 SW 25th St # B, 232-2760

Jose’s Tortilleria, 712 N Virginia Ave. 236-5382‎

Chelino’s Tortilla Factory,

2101 S Robinson Ave. 632-8830‎

Salpicon

1 12 pound brisket

1 onion

6 cloves garlic

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

2 cups beef broth

1 stick butter

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 cups olive oil

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 7 oz. can chipotle in adobo

Juice of 1 lime

2 cups diced cheddar cheese

1 cups diced green onion

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Place brisket fat side up in a roasting pan with onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Put the stick of butter on top of the brisket and seal the top with foil. Cook 10 hours or until internal temperatures is 180 degrees. Let cool an hour then shred into fine ribbons.

Mix oil, vinegar, chipotle and lime into a vinaigrette.

Combine all ingredients and serve in warm tortillas, tortilla cups or wonton cups.

Chicken and brie quesadillas

16 oz. brie, peeled and diced

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1/4-inch cubes

2 green onions

1 teaspoon chile de arbol powder

Half a stick of butter, sliced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

¼ cup of dry white wine

1-2 tablespoons chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

6 large flour tortillas

Fry the chicken in butter on high heat until it’s browned. Add green onions and soy sauce and cook down liquid. Add broth and cook down. Add salt, pepper and chile, then deglaze pan with wine. Mix well and set aside.

Heat a griddle to medium high heat. Melt a slice of butter on the griddle and spread. Place a tortilla on the griddle, placing a large spoonful of chicken and several cubes of brie on one side. When the cheese begins to melt, fold the uncovered half over the covered half. Flip once the bottom is golden brown. When the entire tortilla is golden brown, remove and set aside. Continue until you’ve run out of filling. You may want to keep warm in the oven. Slice the tortillas into wedges and serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Salsa Roja

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 large clove garlic, peeled

2-5 fresh serrano or jalapeno chiles

¼ cup cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon salt

Half an onion, chopped

Black pepper to taste.

Place onion in food processor and chop. Remove to folded towels and wring out any liquid. Combine remaining ingredients in a food processor. Mix salsa with onions in a bowl, adjust salt and pepper.

Salsa Verde

2 lbs tomatillos

1 full bunch of cilantro, stalks and all.

3-8 serrano or jalapeno chiles

Juice of 1 lime

3 sliced green onions

Salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pot, boil tomatillos 10 minutes and allow to cool. Cut out stems and combine with remaining except for onions ingredients in a food processor. Important: Store overnight in the refrigerator and add onions before serving the following day. Tomatillos need a little more time to blend with other ingredients. Onions are best added just before serving as they can overpower when left in too long.

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados

2 peeled garlic cloves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ of an onion chopped

1 roma tomato chopped

Juice of half a key lime

Optional ingredients: fresh chiles, chopped cilantro leaves.

Using a mortar and pestle, mash salt and garlic into a paste. Peel avocodos and scoop into a bowl with garlic paste remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings to suit your taste.

Smore Bars

Crust:

14 whole graham cracker boards, crushed (2 1/4 cups crumbs)

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted

Brownie:

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping:

1 jar (7.5 ounces) marshmallow cream (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup mini chocolate kisses

3 whole graham cracker boards, broken up

Heat oven to 350.

Crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter in small bowl until the graham crackers are moistened.  Press evenly in the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.  Refrigerate until the crust sets.  About 30 minutes.

Brownie: Combine bittersweet chocolate and butter in bowl and microwave on high 1 minute at a time until melted.  Stir until smooth.

With a hand-held mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the eggs and sugar until well blended.  Reduce speed to medium and gradually add the melted chocolate-butter mixture to the egg mixture, beat until smooth, scraping the side of the bowl occasionally.

Stir the flour and salt into the egg mixture.  Stir in the vanilla until smooth.  Scrape brownie mixture into the crust lined pan.  Bake at 350 oven for 30 minutes. 

Topping: While the brownie layer is baking, whisk together the marshmallow cream and the milk in a small bowl until well blended and smooth.

Once the pan is cool enough to handle, pour marshmallow topping over the brownie layer and spread or tilt the pan to cover the top completely.

Sprinkle the mini kisses over the marshmallow topping.  Then scatter the crumbled graham crackers all over the top.

Dark Chocolate Gravy

12 oz. dark chocolate chips

1-½ sticks butter

½ cup light corn syrup

1 cup heavy cream

Heat syrup and cream to 180 degrees, mix in chocolate until thoroughly combined. Fold in butter.

Pepe Delgados

While owner Emilio Salinas doesn’t serve them everyday, what he offers each Friday are at the top of the tamale chain. In business since the 1992, Pepe Delgado’s has grown from tiny taqueria to full blown restaurant and live music emporium on Campus Corner. But it’s best days are Fridays when they offer tamales cooked in grape leaves, then served under a sea of spicy red chile sauce.

Zarate’s Latin Mexican Grill

This new entry in the competitive Tex-Mex landscape offers Peruvian tamales. The rest of the menu offers selections from all regions of Central and

706 S Broadway, Edmond

Cafe Antigua

The tiny cafe in the space previously occupied by Cafe Do Brasil picks up where its predecessor left off, offering unique food from south of the Border. This Guatamalan restaurant is known for its breakfast, but during the holidays they’re offering tamales — which are the national Christmas dish of Guatamala.

2409 N Hudson, Oklahoma City

Salsa Crema

1 jar Mexican table cream, or crema fresca

2 green onions diced,

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds, crushed into powder

Juice of half a lime, or 1 teaspoon lime zest.

salt and pepper to taste

Mix thoroughly and serve.

Chicken tamale filling

1 whole chicken

4 bay leaves

1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano

3 cloves garlic

1 onion quartered

12 whole peppercorns

2 teaspoons olive oil

Half thin sliced onion

2 cloves garlic minced

2-3 cups reserved broth

1 toasted ancho chile toasted, seeded and sliced in strips.

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon chile de arbol powder

7 oz. diced canned tomatoes

Place chicken in a stockpot and cover by two inches with water. Add next five ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer about an hour, skimming the top periodically.

Remove chicken and let cool. Strain and reserved stock.

Shred chicken once cool enough to handle.

In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil and sauté onions and garlic until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer at least 30 minutes. Makes 25-30 tamales.

16 oz. whole kernel corn

16 oz. grated

4-6 roasted poblano chiles, roasted skinned, seeded and diced

8 oz. black beans, drained of any liquid

4 sliced green onions

2 roma tomatoes, diced

2-4 serrano peppers chopped

¼ cup chopped cilantro

You can roast the poblanos in broiler, on a hot griddle or in a deep fryer. Roast until skin is blistered thoroughly and immediately transfer to an airtight container or bag for 20 minutes. Once out, the skin should peel off.

Cook the corn, preferably on the cob and over hot coals.

Then combine all ingredients.

While the state boast many fine gourmet shops, the biggest boost to finding a greater variety of chiles falls squarely on the rise in the Hispanic population. There are markets that specialize in Hispanic imports statewide.

That said, I go straight to the source: Pendery’s in Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Pendery’s claims to be the birthplace of chile blending, what we now call chile powder. I have visited their retail store in Ft. Worth dozens of times, and I’ve been shopping with them online for years. Not once have I been unable to find the chile I’m looking for.

What they don’t have is fresh chiles. As I mentioned, the rise of Hispanic markets has  increased availabilty of poblano peppers as well as a larger supply of jalapenos, serranos and habaneros.

To read about Pendery’s history and check out their supply, go to www.penderys.com.

That doesn’t make it bad.

While chili parlors used to dot the landscape like Starbucks, few remain. 

Tulsa appears to be the state’s chili mecca.

Not does it have Ike’s, but Ron’s Chili and Burgers started there, too. Ron’s has since spread across to Oklahoma City.

Have yet to go to a place that specializes in onion burgers that doesn’t serve chili. Same with coney establishments.

While Chili’s does serve a bowl of the red, it’s off the menu. They will serve you a bowl if you ask for it, and it’s a pretty fair rendition.

If you know of any good chili joints out there, let me know. I’m always on the lookout.

1. With a healthy dose of water or broth, chili can be converted into a hearty enchilada sauce.

2. Mixed with a couple tablespoons of sour cream and a little dry mustard, you can turn it into a spicy version of Beef Stroganoff.

3. Stir fry it with rice and an egg as either an omelet or terrific breakfast taco.

4. Mix it with refried beans and wrap it in a burrito with cheese and onions for burrito.

5. Add more water, some sliced tomatoes and sliced and boiled potatoes. Give this new mix at least another 20 minutes cooking time and you’ve got carne guisada.

6. Add leftover Thanksgiving turkey and, if you’re feeling adventurous, stuffing for a holiday leftovers you don’t dread.

7. Ever hear of Frito Pie?

8. Using the thinned version mentioned above, spread it over flat bread and add your favorite cheese(s), red onions, and sliced Spanish chorizo to make a pizza that will make you never want to call Little Caesar’s again.