Enchilada experiment

Karen said...

Quoted message said:

I decided to experiment when making ground beef enchiladas by not pre-
browning the ground beef but instead filling each tortilla with raw
ground beef. I have always wondered how using raw beef or chicken
would work. It certainly saves on the clean-up end of the procedure,
not using an extra pan for the browning step.

Interesting experiment. I've dreamed up worse!

Did the grease from the meat over-saturate the tortillas?

Short-cutting clean-up isn't a real benefit, imho. But at least now you know.

Nice try!

Andy

Andy q said:

Interesting experiment. I've dreamed up worse!

Did the grease from the meat over-saturate the tortillas?

Short-cutting clean-up isn't a real benefit, imho. But at least now you know.

Nice try!

I used a lean meat. It wasn't greasy at all.

In retrospect, I almost think I should've drizzled just a little olive
oil over the top. It needed a little more fat.

Also, I would've not cooked it as long or rolled the meat too
tightly.

I wonder how chicken would've worked in this experiment.

Karen

Karen said:

I decided to experiment when making ground beef enchiladas by not pre-
browning the ground beef but instead filling each tortilla with raw
ground beef. I have always wondered how using raw beef or chicken
would work. It certainly saves on the clean-up end of the procedure,
not using an extra pan for the browning step.

This is too funny. Or weird. (Hi Karen!) I was just reading your post
about enchiladas and we just got home from the store where we got the
fixin's for enchiladas.

They will be cheese though or maybe chicken as I have some roasted
chicken left from lunch.

As far as using the raw hamburger, I would think it might be too greasy
too, but it looks like it worked out. Chicken would definitely be much
more dry.

--
Caryn
Caryn Nadelberg - Mommy to Sam and Queen of the May
www.carynen.blogspot.com

Caryn Nadelberg said:

As far as using the raw hamburger, I would think it might be
too greasy too, but it looks like it worked out. Chicken would
definitely be much more dry.

Chicken would either be undercooked (possibly dangerously so), or the
enchiladas would be overcooked. At least so it seems to me. The
hamburger idea (at least with lean hamburger) seems practical, so long
as the resultant fat calories are within your range of what you'd
like to consume.

Steve

(Steve Pope) said:

enchiladas would be overcooked. At least so it seems to me. The
hamburger idea (at least with lean hamburger) seems practical, so long
as the resultant fat calories are within your range of what you'd
like to consume.

Ground sirloin. Probably 99% fat free. The cheese is probably the
fattest ingredient of the dish.

Karen

Caryn Nadelberg said:

This is too funny. Or weird. (Hi Karen!) I was just reading your post
about enchiladas and we just got home from the store where we got the
fixin's for enchiladas.

you know what's even weirder? I was just emailing you right before I
glanced here and saw your post.

Karen

Steve Pope said:

Chicken would either be undercooked (possibly dangerously so), or the
enchiladas would be overcooked. At least so it seems to me. The
hamburger idea (at least with lean hamburger) seems practical, so long
as the resultant fat calories are within your range of what you'd
like to consume.

Steve

Most recipes for chicken enchiladas use shredded cooked chicken, not raw
chicken.

Goomba38 said:

Steve Pope wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Chicken would either be undercooked (possibly dangerously so), or the
enchiladas would be overcooked. At least so it seems to me. The
hamburger idea (at least with lean hamburger) seems practical, so long
as the resultant fat calories are within your range of what you'd
like to consume.

Quoted message said:

Most recipes for chicken enchiladas use shredded cooked chicken, not raw
chicken.

Yes, the premise of this thread is whether you could start out
with raw chicken (or hamburger).

Steve

Karen said:

I decided to experiment when making ground beef enchiladas

snippage

Quoted message said:

Karen

Isn't experimenting fun!!!
It takes you out of your comfort zone.

Koko
---
Blog in progress
http://kokoscorner.blogspot.com
updated 4/14 Irish Pub page.

"There is no love more sincere than the love of food"
George Bernard Shaw

Caryn Nadelberg said:

As far as using the raw hamburger, I would think it might be too greasy
too, but it looks like it worked out. Chicken would definitely be much
more dry.

I've always run my corn tortillas through a pan of hot grease to
soften them up a bit before rolling. I don't think using raw hamburger
would add any more fat than my way. Sounds like an interesting idea.
🙂

--
Zilbandy

Karen said:

I decided to experiment when making ground beef enchiladas

texture-wise it would have been like a roasted skinless sausage
encased in a tortilla wrap- yes?
if you wanted a sloppier filling, why not add some of the enchilada
sauce plus some passata to the raw ground steak?
then fill the wraps (which will be a lot messier than the plain steak)
and continue with your prep. as you did with just the raw steak.

when I make samosas the raw meat is added to the sauce without having
first been browned.
I also 'brown' my ground beef for bolognaise on a baking tray in the
oven... makes for a nice change, more tender (for some weird reason)
and also beef strips for stronganoff in the same way.

I hate the smell of browning ground meat (goes back to pregnancy days
22 odd years ago) so if this is one reason you tried to shortcut the
step, try adding the raw mince to the onions, sauce mix for the
filling of the enchilada... as long as you let it simmer for 15
minutes you should end up with a luscious filling.

LadyJane
--
"Never trust a skinny cook!"

Zilbandy said:

I've always run my corn tortillas through a pan of hot grease to
soften them up a bit before rolling. I don't think using raw hamburger
would add any more fat than my way. Sounds like an interesting idea.

hi I usually run my tortillas through a pan of hot grease, too, but
this time I was trying to figure out a way to cut corners and cut
corners on washing pans. I had just gone to the store and bought some
tortillas that were still warm (OMG, so good) so they were pliable and
didn't break up.

I like the idea of one pan dishes sometimes.

Karen

LadyJane said:

texture-wise it would have been like a roasted skinless sausage
encased in a tortilla wrap- yes?
if you wanted a sloppier filling, why not add some of the enchilada
sauce plus some passata to the raw ground steak?
then fill the wraps (which will be a lot messier than the plain steak)
and continue with your prep. as you did with just the raw steak.

when I make samosas the raw meat is added to the sauce without having
first been browned.
I also 'brown' my ground beef for bolognaise on a baking tray in the
oven... makes for a nice change, more tender (for some weird reason)
and also beef strips for stronganoff in the same way.

I hate the smell of browning ground meat (goes back to pregnancy days
22 odd years ago) so if this is one reason you tried to shortcut the
step, try adding the raw mince to the onions, sauce mix for the
filling of the enchilada... as long as you let it simmer for 15
minutes you should end up with a luscious filling.

browning on a baking tray! That's interesting! I could have browned
the meat in the enchilada pan, removed meat, then just use it again
for the rolled up enchiladas. Yes, I think adding more sauce and
keeping the meat loose would tenderize the dish.

No the smell of browning meat wasn't the reason to experiment, just
being <ahem> lazy, I guess.

Karen

Karen said:

Zilbandy said:

I've always run my corn tortillas through a pan of hot grease to
soften them up a bit before rolling. I don't think using raw hamburger
would add any more fat than my way. Sounds like an interesting idea.

hi I usually run my tortillas through a pan of hot grease, too, but
this time I was trying to figure out a way to cut corners and cut
corners on washing pans. I had just gone to the store and bought some
tortillas that were still warm (OMG, so good) so they were pliable and
didn't break up.

I like the idea of one pan dishes sometimes.

Karen

I've started making stacked enchilada casseroles. Pour about 8 to 10
ounces of e-sauce in the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Add a layer of corn
tortillas (I cut them in half and overlap them just a little). Then a
layer of filling. The filling should be kind of juicy. Repeat. Don't
forget the cheese. Top with another layer of tortillas, and pour
e-sauce all over. Bake until bubbly.

Las Palmas (sp?) medium-hot green sauce is really good.

[Note to self: Buy a frozen turkey and roast it and freeze most of the
meat for making hotdishes and turkey sandwiches...]

Bob

Karen said:

Zilbandy said:

I've always run my corn tortillas through a pan of hot grease to
soften them up a bit before rolling. I don't think using raw hamburger
would add any more fat than my way. Sounds like an interesting idea.

hi I usually run my tortillas through a pan of hot grease, too, but
this time I was trying to figure out a way to cut corners and cut
corners on washing pans. I had just gone to the store and bought some
tortillas that were still warm (OMG, so good) so they were pliable and
didn't break up.

I like the idea of one pan dishes sometimes.

Karen

Fresh, still warm tortillas made it home? Dang you have self control.

Koko
---
Blog in progress
http://kokoscorner.blogspot.com
updated 4/14 Irish Pub page.

"There is no love more sincere than the love of food"
George Bernard Shaw

"Karen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Andy q said:

Interesting experiment. I've dreamed up worse!

Did the grease from the meat over-saturate the tortillas?

Short-cutting clean-up isn't a real benefit, imho. But at least now you
know.

Nice try!

I used a lean meat. It wasn't greasy at all.

In retrospect, I almost think I should've drizzled just a little olive
oil over the top. It needed a little more fat.

Also, I would've not cooked it as long or rolled the meat too
tightly.

I wonder how chicken would've worked in this experiment.

Karen

I would think you run the risk of cross contamination until the chicken is
thoroughly cooked.

Karen said:

I decided to experiment when making ground beef enchiladas by not pre-
browning the ground beef but instead filling each tortilla with raw
ground beef. I have always wondered how using raw beef or chicken
would work. It certainly saves on the clean-up end of the procedure,
not using an extra pan for the browning step.

For each enchilada, I filled a small amount of ground sirloin with a
slice of cheddar cheese and diced raw white onion. I seasoned with
Grandma's chili powder and salt and pepper and rolled this up in a
corn tortilla. Eight enchiladas lined up in a glass pan worked out
nicely, and I covered with canned Las Palmas enchilada sauce.

Baked at 350 for an hour.

I didn't turn out bad, actually. The meat was thoroughly cooked, and I
think I could've shortened the cooking time quite a bit.

The flavors were simple, but I opted to begin with few ingredients in
the first place, so I was expecting that. But, tbt, it wasn't as
tender, and the little meat clump stayed clumped together. I'm not
sure if I'd do it again this way.

Karen

You could precook the beef or chicken in the sauce you will be pouring
over the rolled tortillas. THen scoop them out and use them as filling.
This way they could be tender and flavorful and your sauce has been
further flavored by the meat.

Melondy

"Karen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I decided to experiment when making ground beef enchiladas by not pre-
browning the ground beef but instead filling each tortilla with raw
ground beef. I have always wondered how using raw beef or chicken
would work. It certainly saves on the clean-up end of the procedure,
not using an extra pan for the browning step.

For each enchilada, I filled a small amount of ground sirloin with a
slice of cheddar cheese and diced raw white onion. I seasoned with
Grandma's chili powder and salt and pepper and rolled this up in a
corn tortilla. Eight enchiladas lined up in a glass pan worked out
nicely, and I covered with canned Las Palmas enchilada sauce.

Baked at 350 for an hour.

I didn't turn out bad, actually. The meat was thoroughly cooked, and I
think I could've shortened the cooking time quite a bit.

The flavors were simple, but I opted to begin with few ingredients in
the first place, so I was expecting that. But, tbt, it wasn't as
tender, and the little meat clump stayed clumped together. I'm not
sure if I'd do it again this way.

Karen

We frequently make enchilada cassarole, kinda like lasagne, where you layer
sauce, tortillas, fillings, and end up with cheese & sliced olives. Might
work here and have less clumping.
Edrena

Quoted message said:

Kswck said:

I would think you run the risk of cross contamination until the chicken is
thoroughly cooked.

Then it's not cross contaminated.

Is a meatloaf cross contaminated until you cook it?

Is roasted chicken cross contaminated until you cook it?

Karen