Spice Up Your Spring: 'Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex-Mex'

Of all the Mexican food Americans may be most familiar with, it could be easy to see why enchiladas might have an inferiority complex. After all, tacos are our go-to Tex-Mex staple, and burritos are close behind.

Behold, then, "Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex-Mex" (Trinity University Press, $39.95), a definitive look at one of Mexico's most historic and popular foods. San Antonio restaurateur Cappy Lawton and songwriter-turned-culinarian Chris Waters Dunn have teamed up to give us a wealth of historical and culinary information among the more than 60 traditional and modern recipes for enchiladas.

Please, don't think of the tired, soggy corn tortilla filled with cheese or chicken and smothered in gooey sauce beneath melted cheese.

Instead, think of a flavored, homemade tortilla filled with homemade Mexican chorizo and root vegetables. Or variations that deliver rolled, folded or flat versions of the savory staple. Plus, Lawton and Dunn also include 40 add-on recipes for salsas, sauces, salads and sides to make the most of the dish.

Enchiladas also includes valuable primers on all things Mexican cuisine, from identifying the chiles most commonly used to best practices for opening an avocado, to making your own tortillas.

Open-Faced Shrimp Enchiladas

Serves six.

Vinaigrette
5 guajillo chiles, cleaned, destemmed, deseeded, and dry roasted
2-3 chipotles en adobo
Zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup (178 ml) rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon (10 grams) fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 1/2 teaspoons (1 gram) fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground allspice
1/2 medium white onion, peeled, small dice, rinsed in a sieve, and patted dry
2 tablespoons (26 grams) sugar
1 1/4 cups (296 ml) vegetable oil
Kosher salt to taste

For the shrimp:
24 medium shrimp (1 1/4-1 1/2 pounds, 567-680 grams, before preparing)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) avocado oil or other vegetable oil
Kosher salt to taste
Guajillo chile powder to taste (see note)

For the assembly:
24 inner leaves from hearts of romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
6 fresh white corn tortillas
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Cilantro microgreens (or substitute arugula, radish, or other spicy microgreens, see note)

Directions

Start with the vinaigrette:
Soak the prepared guajillo chiles in hot water until soft, about 15 minutes. Place in a blender along with the chipotles en adobo, orange zest, and vinegar, and pulse until the chiles and zest are finely minced. Add the ginger, oregano, allspice, onion, and sugar. With the blender running, slowly add the vegetable oil until emulsified. Add salt to taste. Whisk or shake well before using.

Prepare the shrimp:
Peel and de-vein the shrimp. Place the avocado oil in large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add shrimp and cook, frequently stirring or tossing, until just opaque, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. Remove the shrimp from pan. Season with salt and guajillo chile powder to taste, place on a warm plate, and loosely cover with foil.

Assemble the enchiladas:
Have the salad components ready and at hand. Toss the romaine lettuce with just enough vinaigrette to coat. Warm the tortillas on a dry comal, iron griddle, or skillet until soft and pliable. Place the tortillas on individual serving plates, 1 per serving. Top with the dressed romaine lettuce and shrimp, 4 per serving. Garnish with the cherry tomatoes, 4 halves per plate, and microgreens to taste. Drizzle a little more vinaigrette over the top just before serving.

Note: To make the ground guajillo chile powder: Clean, destem, deseed, and dry roast a guajillo chile until crisp and grind to a powder in a spice grinder.

Recipe courtesy of "Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex-Mex," Trinity University Press.