Entrées

These enchiladas remind me of the Tex-Mex classic cheese enchiladas, but with a bit more smokiness. The recipe is based on one that I found in Diana Kennedy's book The Art of Mexican Cooking (Bantam Books). I often double the ancho chile sauce and make half without eggs to pour over the top.

— Ellise Pierce

Remove stalks, seeds, and veins from chiles. Open them and toast on comal until they turn tobacco brown. Watch the chiles carefully while toasting because they burn easily.

Remove and soak chiles in hot water for approximately 15 minutes, or until reconstituted but not mushy.

Mix 1 cup water, garlic, and salt in a bowl. Add chiles and blend until smooth. Break eggs into a separate bowl, whisk, and stir into chile mixture.

Heat enough lard to just cover bottom of comal or cast-iron skillet. Be sure heat isn't too high — nothing above medium — or the chile sauce will burn.

Dip one tortilla at a time into the chile sauce to cover it thickly and fry for about 10 seconds on each side. Using tongs and a spatula, carefully remove the tortilla and place on a plate. Stuff with cheese, roll it up, and place seam-side down in a glass baking dish. Repeat until the baking dish is full. Cover with extra sauce.

Warm in a 450-degree oven for 10 minutes or so. Be careful not to cook for too long, or the tortillas will fall apart and become soggy.

• Read: Chiles — a hot addiction