One of our favorite restaurants in town is La Tropicana. Kris and I always get their Cheese Enchiladas. We set out to replicate the recipe. It proved to be one of the more elusive endeavors we’ve undertaken in cooking. What we’ve come up with, while not identical, is just as good. The trick, it turns out, is to substitute chicken broth in place of water. Who’da thunk it?

As always, the recipe is simple, and quick.

Ingredients

The Sauce:

• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 8 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
• 3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/8 teaspoon Red Pepper (If you like enchiladas with a little bite)
• 3 Cups Chicken Broth

Other:

• 1 Pkg 6″ Corn Tortillas
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Cups Shredded Cheese

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Instructions
In a small sauce pan, mix all the sauce ingredients except the chicken broth together over medium heat and stir with a wisk for about 1 min. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until sauce is thickened to the consistency of thin gravy, stirring frequently (about 10 mins). Keep sauce warm.

Pour a small amount of sauce in baking dish and spread evenly.

In a small frying pan, heat 4 tablespoons (about 1/4″ deep) of oil over medium-high heat. Place a corn tortilla into the oil and fry for about 5 – 10 seconds. Remove the tortilla and pat dry with a paper towel. Dip tortilla into enchilada sauce. Place dipped tortilla flat in baking dish, add desired amount of shredded cheese (recommend ~ 1/4 cup). Roll tortilla into a tube with seam face down. Repeat process for desired number of tortillas.
Pour some or all of the extra sauce over the tortillas, and place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Serve immediately. Try it with Spanish Rice.