David Muñoz's election night enchiladas recipe
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David Muñoz in the kitchen. Photo: Courtesy of Green Pastures
After Austin chef David Muñoz told us that the one meal he'd want with him on a desert island is his mother's election night enchiladas, readers asked for the recipe.
- Muñoz, who grew up in Fort Worth, is the executive chef at Henry's at the Inn at Green Pastures. This recipe originated with his mother, Aurelia Muñoz — they'd be ready when her husband, an elections judge, came home from the polls.
By the numbers: The recipe yields up to 15 enchiladas.
For the beef cheeks: You'll need roughly 2.5 pounds of beef cheeks, cleaned and trimmed; 2 yellow onions; 7 guajillo peppers and 3 ancho chiles, seeded; 2 teaspoons each of black peppercorns and salt; 10 cloves of garlic; 2 teaspoons each of allspice and oregano; a sachet of thyme and bay leaves; a pair of cinnamon sticks; 2 tablespoons of white vinegar.
- Beef chuck roast or short rib may be substituted for beef cheek.
1. Boil the peppers in a pot of water.
2. Saute onions in oil until soft/translucent.
3. In a separate pot, toast the cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, allspice and garlic (no oil) until fragrant. Garlic will be fragrant and slightly charred on the outside.
4. Blend all ingredients except bay leaves, thyme and beef cheeks.
5. Rub beef cheeks with a generous amount of marinade and let sit 12–24 hours before cooking. Reserve any remaining marinade.
6. Once ready to cook, transfer to a Dutch oven, add in the sachet and remaining marinade and cover with parchment paper and lid. Cook in the oven at 300° for 3–3.5 hours.
- Meat should be fork-tender — a pressure cooker or Instant Pot may be used in place of slow braising.
- Simply sear the meat in the pot, add sachet and remaining marinade. Set the pressure cooker or Instant Pot to high and cook for approximately 1 hour.
7. Once cooked, remove meat from cooking liquid. Once it's cool enough to handle, shred the meat.
8. Pour remaining cooking liquid through a mesh strainer (remove sachet) and into a pot, reserving 2 cups for later use. Bring the strained liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let reduce down to a thicker sauce consistency.
For the enchiladas: You'll need 15 corn tortillas; 2 cups of neutral cooking oil; 2 cups of reserved cooking liquid; 3–4 cups of shredded Oaxaca, Monterey or cheddar cheese.
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Heat a skillet with the oil over medium heat and quickly fry each tortilla.
- Tortillas should not be crunchy at this point but soft and pliable for easier rolling.
3. Pour reserved cooking liquid into a flat-bottom dish and dunk each tortilla. Be sure to get both sides sauced.
4. Fill each tortilla with a generous amount of beef cheek, roll tightly and place seam side down into a baking dish. Repeat until all tortillas have been stuffed and rolled.
5. Ladle the now-reduced sauce over the top and sides of the enchiladas.
6. Cover generously with the shredded cheese and bake for 15–20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.