Cheesy Enchiladas

Hello!  Rick here again with another recipe that I grew up on, but with a little twist.  Cheese enchiladas were a weekly thing in our household.  But I had always wondered how it would be with venison.  Soooo, here we are and boy, am I glad we did this.  These are the tastiest enchiladas I may have ever had.  (Sorry mom!)  The meat was so tender and succulent.  The key I think was to "stir-fry" it with green onions, garlic, and chili, real fast, only until the meat just starts to turn brown.  Remember, it is going back into the oven for the final step, so you don't want it over done.  Dang!  Can't wait until the next time to make it!

Servings: 4

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. venison roast, cut into thin strips

- 3 green onions, white and pale green parts chopped

- 1 yellow chili pepper, seeded and minced

- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbs. oil

- small corn tortillas, about 10-15
- 1 - 16 oz. can enchilada sauce

- 1 - 2.25 oz. can of sliced olives

- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

- shredded cheddar cheese, or any shredded "Mexican Cheese" mix

- manteca (pork lard), or vegetable oil if you don't have lard

- salt, to taste 

I. Filling

1. Remove all fat and silver skin from the roast.

2. Slice venison thinly against the grain. Sprinkle some salt over the venison, to taste.

3. Heat 1 tbs. oil over medium-high heat in a medium sized pan (we used a wok). Cook the onion, garlic and chili just until the garlic starts to turn golden. About 30 seconds.


4. Brown venison for about 1-2 minutes. DO NOT cook the venison all the way through. It still has to go into the oven. PINK is OK. Set aside.

5. Heat 1 tsp. manteca over medium-high heat. One at a time, heat tortillas in the lard, just enough to soften so they don't crack when you work with them. About 30 seconds each side. Add more manteca as you go along. 


Have a dish near you to stack heated tortillas.





II. Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat enchilada sauce to a simmer in a small sauce pan. Spray an 8x11 baking dish with non-stick spray.


2. Dip one tortilla in the enchilada sauce, and lay flat in the baking dish.

3. Fill with venison mixture and olives and roll the tortilla up as snugly as you can. Repeat for the rest. Line them up side by side in the baking dish, in a single layer. 

4. Sprinkle any extra venison, sauce (optional), chopped cilantro and lots of shredded cheese over the top.

5. Sprinkle olives over the cheese. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese on top melts. 

Serve hot with Mexican Beans and Rice! Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top. The recipes for the beans and rice are under Sides.