Sweet Potato Chipotle Enchiladas

There's not a very exciting story behind this meal... just a lazy cold Sunday dinner that I put together from what I had in my fridge and pantry. I had some sweet potatoes that I needed to use up. And I was in the mood for enchiladas. So I combined the two for a spicy, sweet, comforting dinner. That's it.

Sweet Potato Chipotle Enchiladas

Filling
3 sweet potatoes, cut into approx. 1-inch pieces
Olive oil
salt and pepper
poultry fat skimmed from the top of cold homemade stock
1 can black beans
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped very fine + about 1.5 Tablespoons of the adobo sauce
2 teaspoons Mexican Oregano
2 teaspoons cumin


Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 white onion, sliced thin
2 Tablespoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 Tablespoon Tapatilo hot sauce
2 cups homemade chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

12 corn tortillas

For the filling: Toss the sweet potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper and chicken fat. Roast on 400ºF for about 30-40 minutes, until the edges brown and the potatoes are soft. Combine with other ingredients and set aside.

For the sauce: Cook the garlic and onions in a little bit of oil in a sauce pan until translucent and just beginning to brown. Add the adobo sauce and spices and cook a minute or so, add the stock and bring to a simmer. Let cook and reduce about 10-15 minutes.

To assemble: pour a little bit of the sauce in a 9x13 casserole dish, just enough to coat the bottom. Dip a corn tortilla in the sauce, put about 1/4 cup of the filling in the middle, roll it up and set it seam-side down in casserole dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Pour he remaining sauce over the rolls and bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes. Serve with Queso Fresco, Sour Cream and chopped fresh cilantro.

Pork Belly Cucumber Stir-fry

Inspired by my recent experience making (well, she did most of the work, really) and eating Momofuko's pork belly steamed buns with Kelly, I bought a small slab of pork belly to cook myself. I was anxious though, and all the recipes I came across required marinating. Then I flipped through a Food & Wine Best of the Best book (Vol. 6) I had gotten from a garage sale. In the section featuring David Thompson's cookbook Thai Food, there just so happens to be a pork belly recipe that didn't require me to wait overnight! And it involved stir-frying cucumbers... intriquing. It's a simple recipe, getting most of it's flavor from pork fat and fish sauce. Oh, fish sauce. Truly one of the most off-putting yet magificent ingredients out there. Such a pungent smell! But when used right, a flavor that can't really be described.

Pork Belly Cucumber Stir-Fry
(adapted from Thai Food by David Thompson)

-4 oz. pork belly
-2 Tablespoons oil
-3 cloves garlic, minced and crushed with a pinch of salt
-1 medium cucumber cut into fat bite-sized sticks
-2 eggs, beaten
-1 Tablespoon fish sauce (really, measure this and don't use too much... so strong!)
-1 teaspoon sugar
-salt and pepper
-cilantro, chopped

Steam the pork belly for about 10-15 minutes. Let cool. Slice fairly thickly then cut into bite size rectangles, roughly the same size and shape as the cucumber. Cook garlic in oil until it starts to brown. Add the pork belly and fry over a high heat for about 5 minutes, until it has some good browning. Add cucumber and stir-fty until it begins to become transluscent. Add eggs and stir-fry for another couple of minutes. Add fish saice and sugar, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over jasmine rice (I used brown jasmine rice) with a generous sprinkling of cilantro.

I still have a nice portion of pork belly left... think it's time to make more bacon?