for January 6, 2003


Recipe Week, Day 2:
Enchilada Pie

by your Latin lover, Paulie Gonzalez

[Editor's Note: Last week, we said it was recipe week. Surely, you didn't think we meant five days in a row. Of course not.]

Here's a simple dish inspired by Mexican cuisine. I was going to share a good Arroz con Pollo recipe, but Tia still guards that with a cleaver. She's already buried four Italian husbands, and I'm not gonna be next.

First, this recipe requires chaining up the dogs. At least separate them so they don't eat each other. I don't know about you, but cooking meat in front of a pair of 65 lb pit bulls in a sure way to end up with an extra 65 lbs of meat that you can't cook or play the game "kill rope toy" with.

After the kitchen is safe from jealous rage, take inventory of ingredients. You will need the following:

Vegans can substitute pork or beef with veal or baby seals, which have no meat. This is an easy, foolproof dish that any gringo could handle and is guaranteed to get you laid. Here's what you do:

Roast chickens, use no onion here.

Brown and salt the meat in a bit of corn oil over high heat. After the bleeding begins to subside, add a generous amount of cilantro and the juice of half a lime.

Drain and reserve hot oil for later.

Throw the dogs a little treat. Dogless homes only require 1 lb. of meat.

Add 3/4 enchilada sauce, onion, 3/4 cheese, and half of tomato to meat and blend, set aside.

Prepare baking dish or large, deep pie pan lightly greased.

Arrange 6 tortillas in overlapping pattern to cover pan; add meat mixture.

Cover with remaining tortillas, then leftover sauce, cheese and tomato.

Throw it in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, unless you took too long to prepare the pie and let the meat get too cool. In this case you will need to burn the cheese to heat your meat, as opposed to your prior goal.

Throw chickens to dogs.

Put on some music.

Serve up Enchilada Pie with a wink, a smile, and a little hot sauce on the side.

©2003 Paulie Gonzalez