Today’s recipe has been written by Norma Gail, fellow author and friend. She shares a recipe from her upcoming release. I can’t wait to try it. Welcome back to Historical Nibbles, Norma!
Bonny Bryant, the main character in my novels, Land of My Dreams and Within Golden Bands, is a New Mexico native transplanted to Scotland. She introduces handsome Scottish sheep farmer, Kieran MacDonell, to New Mexican food and he is soon hooked. Bonny loves to cook, and her friends in the mountains outside Albuquerque keep her supplied with the chile she craves. New Mexican food is a great way to warm up on a dreich and drookit day in Scotland or anywhere else. One of my favorites and Bonny’s are traditional red chile enchiladas.
Enchiladas originated in old Mexico. New Mexico was part of the land ceded to the U.S. by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 following the Mexican-American War. One of the rich traditions that has endured is the food. New Mexico chilies were first grown by the Pueblo Indians and have a rich, piquant aroma, varying in sweetness and heat. Both red and green varieties were quickly adapted as a sauce for enchiladas by Spanish explorers seeking the fabled Seven Cities of Gold, including Hernán Cortés.
Enchiladas, a combination of corn tortillas, chile sauce, and meat, are either rolled or served flat and filled. They can be topped with cheese, onion, lettuce, and tomatoes.
1 lb. of hamburger
Diced onion
Minced garlic
Corn tortillas (about 3 per person)
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. flour
2 – 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
Red chile powder
Grated cheddar cheese
Fried eggs
Brown 1 lb. of hamburger or shredded chicken with diced onion and garlic.
Fry tortillas until almost crisp.
Make a sauce by melting 2 tbsp. of butter and whisking in 2 tbsp of flour, 2 – 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce, red chile powder to taste, and enough water to make it the desired consistency. Bring to a boil while stirring.
Stack tortillas, filling between with meat mixture and chile sauce. Top with a fried egg, grated cheese, and serve with a side of lettuce and tomato.
Makes 3-4 servings.
About Norma Gail:
Norma Gail’s debut novel, Land of My Dreams, won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award. Within Golden Bands releases May 19th. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals have appeared in several publications. She lives in New Mexico with her husband of 44 years.
Book Blurb for Within Golden Bands
Newlyweds Bonny and Kieran MacDonell grieve the loss of her miracle pregnancy while struggling to discover the identity of the man who left Kieran beaten and unconscious. Reeling from the threat to her husband and loss of their child, Bonny fights to hold her marriage together as danger destroys the peace of their sheep farm on the banks of Loch Garry, Scotland. Will they choose to trust God when his ways are impossible to fathom?
Sandra Merville Hart 