A recipe for enchiladas that was vetoed
And a reader challenge!
Do you ever have a newsletter and intend to make a recipe and just literally cannot bring yourself to do it? Reader, It Happened to Me/I Did It to Myself: a very ’50s style enchiladas recipe was fully avoided out of sheer panic.
Here’s what I was supposed to make:
We’ve been here before—with the meat loaf, with the hamburger and rice. For all my love of the midcentury, and appreciation of its moments of kitsch, I fear (some) of its food. (Never shrimp cocktail.) The dish I was ready, with a gulp, to make was enchiladas, which I’d never attempted before and frankly seemed like a few in one, aka a lot of steps, which I don’t love. (It’s also never my go-to when eating Mexican prepared by someone who is actually talented.) But it feeds a crowd, basketball was on, and I resolved to dig in. Come to find out, after looking more carefully, that this particular recipe is of the midwestern variety: cream of mushroom soup, olives and Monterey Jack all make appearances. I felt momentarily brave—well, brave enough to suggest to my co-host that I could make this but maybe another recipe for enchiladas might be better. But as soon as I said “cream of mushroom,” the whole thing was vetoed, and I was let off the hook, some relief but also stress coursing through my body: I had avoided the big bad thing, but was something of a chicken about it.
I ended up making this recipe, though at this point was a little confused and sort of melded a couple different ones: definitely not the energy to put into something I had never attempted before. (And I certainly could have decided not to rely on yet another NYT Cooking recipe, but again, panic!) Thankfully, at the last minute we also did a big (Instant) pot of Rancho Gordo pinto beans on the side, which saved the day, because the resulting enchiladas alone would not have been saucy enough without them; it was low on salsa, and on the dry side. I’m honestly relieved no apparent enchilada experts were present for my attempt, though no one complained. I have polite house guests though.
So: I put it to a challenge. Someone make this—the original recipe. Tell me how it goes. And the proceeds of next months’s newsletter will go to the charity of your choosing, as will your tale of woe. Will anyone be up for the challenge??? I’ll truly be shocked if they are but maybe the temptation will be too much to stand.
And before I go, a housekeeping note. I’ve been threatening to make a list of all the recipes that have been completed and which ones are to come for those curious about where we’ve been and where we’re headed, and have finally done so. Consider it my penance for a lackluster performance this month. You can reference it here anytime; it also lives on the top nav of the site. I doubt anyone actually uses this whole endeavor as a real cookbook, but I love a glossary.
Donations Time: Last month, $175 went to Mercy Chefs. This month, donations will go to The Way Station, which is providing support to the residents of East Palestine, OH. You can switch your subscription to increase the amount donated each month for $5 a month or $30 a year right here.