Now That's A Sardine

Supper, Saturday December 24: fish enchiladas (sardines in tomato sauce, onion, kidney beans chili spice, roasted jalapeno, corn tortilla, gifted verde sauce, habanero co-jack); spiced rice (long grain rice, gifted verde sauce, corn, peas); fresh greens; sour cream; avocado, cilantro.

What prompted this meal was a gift from one of Alexis’ coworkers. Two days ago he gave her a small jar of homemade verde sauce and a jar of chutney. I decided to put the verde sauce to immediate use. We will save the chutney for another sheep share day later.

The sardines that are used in this recipe were the kind that you get in the oval can that can be found in the Hispanic or Latino section of the grocery store or any Tienda. If you have never used these, beware, they are big suckers. I used two sardines in this recipe, not two cans, two sardines, two fish. Dont hesitate to use the sauce. I briefly sauted the onion and jalapeno, added the beans and mashed them a bit then likewise with the sardines. I finished with some of the sauce and a little chili powder. This was the filling for the enchiladas.

I once had a problem with corn tortillas. A long time ago when I was in the restaurant business I worked in one kitchen that served a specialty enchilada. Our method for softening the corn tortillas so that they could be rolled without cracking was to briefly dip them in the fryer. There are two problems with this method. First, it renders the tortilla pretty greasy. Secondly, it is a little impractical for the home chef to break out the fryer just to heat up a few tortillas.

Thankfully we now have the interwebs. A couple of years ago I searched techniques for heating tortillas and stumbled on one that I have used since. I would give credit to the woman who posted this technique, but I have no idea where I found it. It is a relatively simple and brilliant solution.

Break out your favorite iron skillet. lightly coat it with oil and heat it until it just begins to smoke. One at a time, dip the tortillas very briefly in water place them in the pan. Once the tortilla has browned on the bottom flip it over to finish. Place the heated tortillas in a tea towel to keep them warm and pliable. 

It is pretty remarkable how well this works. The result is a tortilla that is a close facsimile to a fresh made tortilla. I think I know what's going on here. When starch is refrigerated it crystallizes. Dipping the tortilla in water then placing it in the hot skillet steams the tortilla decrystallizing the starch Once the water has evaporated some heavy browning can occur that simulates the exterior of a fresh cooked tortilla. The texture, look, and taste are all pretty close to The Real McCoy.