Viva Mexico!! Independence Day& Enchiladas to celebrate

Mexican flag courtesy of 4 International Flags

Viva Mexico!!! The real Mexican Independence Day! On the evening of September 15, 1810 a priest, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla's gathered the indigenous and mixed people of Dolores,Guanajuato to rise and stand up against the oppression that they had been under for so many generations. This speech is know as the "Grito de Dolores" or the cry of Dolores,it is a cry out for independence and an end to Spanish and Mexican born Spaniards' rule. Officially September 16, 1810 is recognized as the beginning of Mexico's war of Independence. The war lasted 11 years, many people died, years of instability followed but in the end Mexico gained independence from Spain. Every year this cry or speech and the sacrifices made are remembered, it is reenacted by ringing the bells of the National Palace in Mexico City and the President reenacting the Grito de Dolores that is then repeated by the crowds and people throughout out the country. There are also parades, flags everywhere, feast and parties throughout the nation.

War is ugly and many events and stories lead up to the battles and years of struggle and sacrifice, it is long and complicated as is in most historical and monumental events, but this is as short and concise version I could give you. If you want to know more there are plenty of articles to read online. When I lived in the US most people thought that May 5th or Cinco de Mayo was Mexican Independence day, and didn't know the actual history of September 16. To me it was fascinating that the Americans cared so much about May 5th and me as a Mexican didn't think it was such a big holiday. Kind of funny, but I wonder how much of that had to do with the bombardment of advertising to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Mexican beer and chips and salsa.....

If you have Mexican friends or married into a Mexican family you know that to us pretty much all of life's events give us cause for a celebration. Parties for everything, food is an absolute must, singing and dancing and party until the sun comes up (literally). So of course this very important day cannot be without some mouthwatering, typical and traditional dishes. This year we started our celebration early so I could share this with you. I made chicken enchiladas rojas (red) served with Mexican rice and refried beans, for dessert I served empanadas de calabaza or Pumpkin empanadas (turnovers). To keep this post relatively short I am sharing my recipe for authentic enchildas rojas. I will later post my yummy recipe for Mexican rice and the empanadas. The beans you can already find in my archive here. Also coming later is enchiladas made with substitute ingredients for the sauce.

Your ingredients:

for enchilada sauce
3 garlic cloves
1 medium onion
3-4 hot chilies( chile de arbol)
1 chile guajillo
1 large tomato with skin removed
1 tsp./5ml of salt,cumin seed
1/2 tsp./2ml black pepper

12 corn tortillas
2 boiled and shredded chicken breast
1/2 cup/125 ml vegetable oil

Garnishes: sour cream,bland cheese (feta or Edam),avocado slices,shredded lettuce,sliced or diced radishes

1. Cook the chicken ,slice,dice and shred the garnishes and have all this ready to use. Tip* the avocado will start to brown so you can either do this right before you serve it or rub with a little lemon to prevent the browning. Next we need to make the sauce, I sliced the onion and garlic and put it on a pan to fry it a bit, only add a little bit of oil to prevent it from burning. After about 5 minutes you can remove them and set aside. In a pot add a couple of cups of water and bring to a boil next add the peppers and leave them for about 10 minutes until they are soft. Drain and add them to a blender, add the onion,garlic,tomato, salt,pepper and cumin, and blend until you have a smooth sauce.

2. Next you'll need a frying pan and add the vegetable oil warm under medium low heat. In a pot or deep pan add the enchilada sauce, keep under low heat. You'll also need thongs, a plate with paper towels and a spare plate or cutting board to roll and prepare the enchiladas. First take one tortilla, dip it into the oil and cook on each side for 2 minutes each. Next dry off some of the extra oil, then dip and cover completely on both sides with the sauce. Don't worry if you feel there isn't enough sauce on the tortilla we'll add more at the end.Next we add the stuffing, the chicken, in the center of the tortilla put some of the shredded chicken then roll up. Set aside until your done with your batch.

3. Once you are done rolling up the enchiladas you can add more sauce on top, then start topping with the garnishes. Serve with rice and beans on the side for a complete and very filling meal!! Buen Provecho!!