Recipe: Chard Enchiladas

from The Wall Street Journal

6 tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed

1½ jalapeños, stemmed and seeded

3 cloves garlic

3 cups fresh cilantro, plus ½ cup leaves for garnish

¾ cups crema or sour cream

12 cups Swiss chard, ribs removed and leaves roughly chopped

Kosher salt

¾ cup canola oil

12 corn tortillas

1½ cups Oaxacan or Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated

⅓ cup queso fresco, crumbled

Lime wedges, for serving


Make salsa: Place tomatillos and jalapeños in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until tomatillos fully soften, about 8 minutes. Drain.

Transfer cooked tomatillos and jalapeños to a blender and add half the garlic, 3 cups cilantro, 3 tablespoons crema and 3 cups chard. Season with salt and purée until smooth.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in medium pot over medium-high heat. Pour in salsa and simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.

 

Make filling: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Thinly slice remaining garlic and add it to pan. Sauté garlic until aromatic and lightly golden, about 1 minute, then add remaining chard. Sauté until leaves wilt but retain their bite, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in Oaxaca cheese and season with salt.

Fill a small pot with remaining oil and set over medium heat. Once small bubbles form, reduce heat to low. Use tongs to dip tortillas, one at a time, into oil until fully submerged. Once puffed but not at all browned, about 15 seconds per tortilla, set aside on a plate. Add oil as needed.

Divide warm tortillas among 4 plates and top with filling. Roll tortillas around filling to make cylinders and arrange seam-side down. Generously spoon warm salsa over rolled tortillas. Garnish with remaining crema, queso fresco and cilantro leaves. Serve warm with lime wedges.