Enchiladas Verdes with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa and Pinto Beans 

Cashew Crema

• Soak your cashews for 2-3 hours in cold water or 15 minutes in boiling water to soften. Full instructions for cashew crema can be found HERE.
• Prepare the cashew crema while the salsa ingredients are roasting. Add the soaked and drained cashews to your blender along with fresh water and salt. Blend on high while it is “vortexing” until it is completely smooth. Reserve 1/2 a cup to add to the tomatillo salsa and set the remaining aside in the fridge in a drizzle bottle or bowl until ready to serve.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

• Preheat the broiler in your oven to 500°F.
• Prep the vegetables for the salsa. Remove the papery skins from the tomatillos and rinse well. Arrange them about an inch apart on a large baking sheet lined with tinfoil. Add the onion, garlic, and serrano pepper to the pan as well.
• Broil the vegetables for the salsa in the top ¾ of the oven for at least 10 min, checking on them occasionally. They may need another 5 – 10 min, depending on your broiler and how close they are to the heating element. The tomatillos should begin to turn yellow then blacken in spots. Remove from the oven once charred and let them cool before the next step. Alternatively, you can grill these on an open flame grill/bbq.
• Transfer the roasted salsa vegetables to the blender once they have cooled enough to handle. Add in the cilantro and broth, then blend until the desired consistency is reached. I preferred it quite smooth. Adjust salt to taste.

Enchiladas

• Pour the tomatillo salsa into a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the prepared cashew crema until combined. Adjust seasonings for salt one more time.
• Cook your corn tortillas or reheat day old or store bought. Full guide for corn tortillas HERE or see BELOW for corn tortilla recipe. Reheat day old or store bought tortillas by heating a medium skillet over medium-high and add a small amount of oil. Quickly cook in the oil for 20-30 seconds a side until warm and pliable. Keep warm and set aside.
• Adjust seasonings on your pinto beans before using in enchiladas. I added salt and chopped cilantro, but you may prefer refried beans or canned beans.
• Prepare the enchiladas: Dip both sides of the tortilla in the sauce and place on a plate. Add about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of bean filling along the middle, leaving a small gap on each end. Roll the tortilla over the filling gently into a log and place it seam side down (or simply fold in half). Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas then top with fresh cilantro, thinly sliced onions, cashew crema, and a hot sauce of your choice.

• Preheat a large heavy-bottom skillet or cast iron flat grill over medium-high heat. You want that pan scorching hot before you begin.
• Mix the corn masa in a medium bowl and a sprinkle of salt. Add half the water and mix with a fork until the dough begins to come together. It will be crumbly and resemble sand. Continue adding water until there’s no dry flour at the bottom and the clumps of dough appear larger and begin to come together. You may need more or less than what the recipe says.
• Lightly massage the dough with your hands now and work it into a ball. It should feel wet but not sticky and it should not crumble. Do a little test tortilla if you must. If they’re too wet, they won’t separate from the plastic and may fall apart. If they’re too dry, they will crack a lot on the skillet and may have trouble puffing up. Either splash 1 tbsp of water to moisten or a couple tsp of masa to firm up.
• Divide the dough into 9 golf ball sized pieces and cover until ready to cook.
• Press the tortillas into a thin disc shape using a tortilla press or two heavy pans. Place the dough ball between two pieces of heavy plastic (I reuse a large ziplock bag that I’ve cut in half). They should be almost see through and evenly pressed all around.
• Remove the tortilla from the plastic wrap by pulling one side away then flopping the tortilla into your other hand and peeling the other side of plastic off the back of the tortilla.
• Place the tortilla on the hot skillet gently, making sure you don’t burn yourself or that you trap bubbles under the tortilla. Holding the tortilla in the palm of your hand, gently drape the tortilla over the skillet, then flipping your hand over in a gentle backhand motion, release the tortilla onto the skillet.
• Cook for 30 – 45 seconds on one side, flipping when steam begins to appear around the tortilla and the sides just begin to curl up.
• Flip then cook for another 45 seconds to 1 minute 15 seconds until done. It’s done when you flip the tortilla over again to the original side and press down on it and it puffs up. If it doesn’t, flip it back over and give it another 10-15 seconds. If it still does not puff up but appears cooked, set it aside anyways. Not all of them will be perfect and it’s better not to overcook them.
• Place the cooked tortillas in a tortilla warmer or under a warm towel. The steam allows them to finish cooking and become pliable.
• Finish cooking all the tortillas, leaving them stacked until ready to eat.