Destination # 7 - New Mexico... and sort of San Antonio too

So... truth be told that in a pinch I probably couldn't name a single city in New Mexico if I had only a minute or two to think about it. and yes... I'm 36. Or 37 or maybe 38. Who knows how old I am but the point is, I'm probably too old to be this dumb.

Drake went on a business trip to San Antonio last week for a medical conference and naturally I was a curious as to where my wife was situated in the world relative to me so I looked up San Antonio on a map and was shocked to see that it dipped deeper into the South than some parts of Mexico. Who knew that the U.S. dipped below Mexico? I mean... well... maybe everybody did but this was news to both myself and Drake. But then again, we're only 36. or 38. There is still plenty of time to learn important things such as this. While in San Antonio Drake consumed approx. 1,436 Margaritas and ate 6 meals a day and it ALL consisted of Mexican food, rightfully so. I was so jealous I thought I might die. The minute she got home I inquired when we could whip up some Mexican food and because we had already covered Texas we had to find another state that specialized in the cuisine of our southern neighbors to make it relevant to the Culinary Road Trip Project. The great and mighty Google told me that New Mexico was the ticket. Upon doing some research about New Mexico (cuz I take this project seriously yo!) I learned some interesting things: 1) The Rio Grand (yes! I've heard of this river before in songs and movies) runs through the ENTIRE state! Wouldn't it be cool to river raft through an ENTIRE state? Can I get a Shit Yah? 2) Las Cruces makes the world's largest enchilada the first weekend in October at the "Whole Enchilada Fiesta." Umm... I like Enchiladas. and I like festivals. If I ever visit New Mexico, I will make a mental note to only go in October so that I can sample the world's largest Enchilada. and 3) well... umm... yah, that's probably about it for interesting things.

We cooked up some wicked awesome Enchiladas last night in honor of New Mexico and a little bit of San Antonio. I had already made the chicken for a previous taco meal but found that it worked wonders in tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas alike.

Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken - recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 (8 ounce) jar medium salsa
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pinch salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Arrange the chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker, and pour in the salsa and tomato sauce. Add the garlic and onion, and sprinkle in the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Set the cooker on Low, and cook until the chicken is very tender, 4 to 5 hours. Shred the chicken with two forks for serving.

Enchilada Sauce - courtesy of allrecipes.com

6 dried ancho chiles
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup corn oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups beef broth

1.Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Arrange the ancho chiles on a baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven 3 to 4 minutes; remove the stems, pulp, and seeds from the toasted peppers. Place peppers in a bowl and pour enough hot water into bowl to cover completely; allow to soak for 1 hour.
3. Combine the ancho chiles, tomato paste, corn oil, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and about 1 cup of the beef broth in a blender; blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan with the remaining beef broth and place over medium heat; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes.

A note about this Enchilada Sauce* if you have ever brewed beer or been to a brewery while they were brewing beer, you are probably familiar with the sweet and malty aroma of wort. The steeped anchos TOTALLY reminded me of that smell. After we had strained the chilis out I made Drake keep the bowl of broth laying around so that I could shove my nose into it and take big whiffs every few minutes. Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo delicious.

To assemble the Enchiladas, we dipped the chicken into the sauce and mixed it up good. I also added a whole can of diced green chilis for some heat and texture. We added the chicken to some flour tortillas and rolled them up. We then layered a 9X13 pyrex pan with about 1/2 cup of sauce, then packed in very tightly (for some reason this is important) the rolled up tortillas. We added another 1/2-1 cup of sauce to cover and then about 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top. Baked at 350 for 25 minutes until cheese was golden and sauce was bubbling. Drank with homemade Margaritas (duh!)

This was the best Enchilada I have ever had if I do say so myself. Seriously... soooooo good!