Sauce:
2 oz. dried chile ancho (56g)
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 cups water (480ml)
½ lb. ground beef (250g– 80% lean is best)*
2 tbsp. instant corn tortilla mix or all-purpose flour (16g)
Pinch of ground cumin to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheese Filling:
1 lb. shredded cheese (500g)
24 corn tortillas, warmed
½ lb. shredded cheese (250g)
½ medium onion, minced
In a 2qt./2 lt. saucepan, and fill with 1 qt./1 lt of water. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain the chiles, discard the water, and allow the chiles to cool. Remove the stems, seeds and rinse.
Place the chiles in a glass measuring cup, along with the garlic and 2 cups of water. Using an immersion blender, puree the chiles well (you can also use a conventional blender.) Set aside.
In a large Dutch oven or skillet, brown the ½ lb. of ground beef for sauce, about 5 minutes. Add the corn tortilla mix or all-purpose flour and stir well to incorporate. Pour in the chile puree, stirring well. Season with, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the enchilada sauce for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
Warm each corn tortilla on a griddle or in the microwave wrapped in a clean kitchen towel. Fill each tortilla with an equal amount of cheese and roll up.
In the meantime, heat your broiler.
Immediately before serving, cover the enchiladas with the warmed sauce. Top the enchiladas with the shredded cheese. Place the oven proof serving platter under the broiler briefly to melt the cheese, about 60 seconds. Remove the enchiladas from the broiler and top with minced onions. Serve immediately.
The trick to rolling up the tortillas neatly is to heat the tortilla first so that the tortilla is flexible. Place the rolled up filled tortillas closely together so they do not unroll.
I am showing a very thick version of the enchilada sauce. For a thinner sauce, simply add 1 cup of water (240 ml) to the enchilada sauce as it simmers. Add more water as needed for the desired thickness.