A Gluten Free Approach to Enchiladas

Gluten Free Enchiladas

My husband is a hunter. I am personally not a huge fan of venison, but it is hard to use that as an excuse, when he is dragging a 130-150 lb animal home, full of manly pride because he is able to provide meat for his family. 

I have been playing with recipes that cover the game(y) taste, enough for me to actually enjoy the meal. 
These enchiladas are almost creamy on the inside. The meat melts in your mouth, and I promise there is no residual game flavor left behind. Now, if your husband is not a hunter, ground beef or chicken would be awesome as well. 
With flavors that are authentic, and just enough kick to leave a small fire on your tongue, I truly think you will use this recipe again and again. The meat alone could be used for tacos and the best part... By using gluten free corn tortillas, this recipe is GLUTEN FREE, and using the full recipe will give you leftovers to freeze and have again for an easy dinner.
The Enchilada Sauce is really what made the taste so good, so here it goes. 

 

Ingredients:

3 lbs of ground meat (we used venison, but you could do chicken or beef)
1 tsp ancho chili powder (more will make the sauce spicier, and you could add a dash of Cayenne for even more heat)
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup of oil (I used Canola because it was what I had on hand, but Corn is supposed to taste more authentic)
3 cloves of garlic minced
3 tsp salt
1/2 sweet onion (or 4-5 shallots, minced)
2 tsp dried oregeno
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs chili powder
pinch of pepper
1 full container of beef broth (reserve 1/2 for meat)
Flour or corn tortillas
2 cups Mexican Style shredded cheese (more or less depending on your taste)
Serve with sour cream and chopped green onions

Meat Mixture:

Start browning the meat in a Large Pot.
Saute onion and garlic in a separate Large Pot for about 5 mins, or until the onion is clear.
Meanwhile, combine the tomato paste, oil, 1/2 beef stock, and spices in a large mixing bowl, blending well and ensuring the oil is completely combined. Pour tomato mixture over the sauteed garlic and onion and simmer until thoroughly warmed.
After meat is browned, remove the grease, and pour the remaining beef stock over the meat. Simmer meat and stock for about 10 minutes.
Combine the tomato sauce with the meat and stock, leaving about 1 cup of the tomato sauce (now the enchilada sauce) in the bottom of the pot, reserved for dipping the tortillas. Allow to simmer for 30 mins (or longer).
Remove the meat mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Preparing the Enchiladas:

Prepare 2 baking dishes (I used 9in. rectangular glass cake pans) with cooking spray or butter.
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
I used the burrito size flour tortillas and the 3 pounds of meat filled 10 tortillas.
Place a single tortilla in the reserved tomato sauce, just enough to coat and soften it. Place the tortilla on a flat surface and place a single line of cheese down the center. Top the cheese with a serving of the meat mixture (I was generous with the serving size because I used the larger tortillas), and then fold the top and bottom over the meat mixture and roll, to create the enchilada. Place seam side down in the prepared baking dish and repeat this process, using all of the tortillas, and meat mixture.
Once the enchiladas are all in the baking dish, cover them with the remaining (reserved) enchilada (tomato) sauce. Top with cheese and bake in the preheated oven until the cheese on top is thoroughly melted. Serve with sour cream and chopped green onions, and enjoy!