Enchiladas Guatemaltecas

Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz’s Guatemalan enchiladas layer toasted tortillas with lettuce, their own vegetable escabeche, browned ground meat, sliced hard-boiled egg, tomato sauce, queso seco and parsley. Her ten-enchilada card prepares the escabeche, meat and sauce separately.

The beets are covered with water in a saucepan, receive a teaspoon of white vinegar and salt, and boil for about forty minutes until tender. They are drained, rinsed with supplied cold water and cut into small pieces. Four cups of water boil supplied chopped green beans, carrots, peas and bay leaf until tender with a little crunch. The vegetables cool, then the green beans and carrots are chopped. They are mixed with the beets, thyme, bay leaf, the half-cup of vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil, seasoned and reserved.

One tomato and half the onion are chopped. A large pot over medium heat receives one tablespoon of olive oil; the onion cooks until translucent and the tomato fries for two to three minutes. Two thirds of this mixture are removed and set aside. The remaining third receives another tablespoon of olive oil and the supplied ground meat. Salt and generic pepper season it, and it cooks for about ten minutes until browned before being reserved.

The remaining half-onion and two tomatoes enter a separate pot and are brought to the boil until the tomatoes soften. They are removed, drained and cooled, and the tomatoes are peeled. A blender turns the tomatoes and onion into a smooth sauce, which is seasoned with salt and generic pepper.

A lettuce leaf rests on each tostada, followed by a couple of tablespoons of vegetable escabeche and a couple of tablespoons of meat. A supplied hard-boiled egg slice goes over them. A tablespoon of tomato sauce, supplied queso seco and chopped parsley finish the enchilada.