The aromas of my grandmother’s kitchen was always filled with the delicate smell of something magical happening. Isaura or Chawis as we called her, managed to transform your bad day into a good day filled with love through her cooking. My grandmother was not a very touchy feely kind of grandmother. She was very strict and rarely showed affection. I think she showed her love through her cooking. Every single time you complimented her cooking, she would say something was off, or needed a little bit of this or that. She never accepted a compliment. I inherited her recipes and every single one has four to five corrections. She always found something to change.
She had a tough life. She was born in 1909 to a wealthy family. Her grandfather remarried and the new family managed to keep all the inheritance so my grandmother and her mother, Hortensia were pretty much left on their own.
My grandmother married a dashing young man of Lebanese descent, Antonio. He was so handsome and smart; people say he had the charisma of a movie star. He had a promising career in politics. He founded the worker’s union in Nuevo Laredo Mexico. He was the first to receive a license as a Customhouse Broker in Nuevo Laredo. Unfortunately, God had other plans for him and he died in a car accident when he was about 32 or 33 years old. My grandmother was suddenly alone and with three children. She felt she had to be the disciplinarian and had to be both the father and mother. Chaguis never got over his death. She used to play de piano by ear, meaning she never took a lesson. One time when she was about 95, she was playing a song and she started crying saying Antonio, why did you leave me? She loved him so much until she died August 4, 2008.
There are so many dishes that I remember her making. As she got older, in her 70-80’s, she did not make many of them often because she considered them to be fattening. She was obsessed by cholesterol, sodium, fat, etc. Nevertheless, sometimes she managed to forget about all of that and make wonderful dishes. Following is my adaptation of Enchiladas Suizas. She didn’t write it down but I remember her making them with me several times. Enchiladas Suizas is a traditional Mexican dish made popular at a restaurant in Mexico City that is now a franchise named Sanborn’s. This restaurant is famously known for its vibrant blue tiles used throughout the place.
Enchiladas Suizas
10 green tomatillos (the green kind with the husk)
2 serrano chiles
1/2 cup of Mexican Cream
Salt to taste
1 cup chicken broth
10 sprigs of Cilantro
12 corn tortillas
1- 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3/4 cup Chihuahua, Monterrey or Manchego cheese (Mexican Manchego not the Spanish)
1/3 cup roasted not salted pumpkin seeds (this was my addition, it gives a nutty flavor)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Boil the tomatillos with the Serrano peppers for five minutes until they change color and before the skin bursts. Cool slightly and grind in the blender with the chicken broth, cilantro and pumpkin seeds. Sauté the sauce in olive oil until it has slightly thickened, about five minutes. Add the cream and season with salt. Bring to a slight boil for about 3 minutes.
Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil, canola, corn, or veg. Once the oil is hot, pass a tortilla through it. You are looking for the tortilla to be pliable, so it will be about 30-45 seconds on each side. Take out the tortilla and place in a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Fill the tortilla with shredded chicken and roll. Place seam down in a Pyrex, or oven safe rectangular dish. Once the dish is full, cover the enchiladas with the Suiza sauce and cover with the shredded cheese. Place in a 400 F oven for about ten – 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Since I usually only cook for my husband Scot and I, I found individual baking rectangular dishes at Marshalls. I place three enchiladas in each and cover with the sauce and cheese. We eat directly from each baking dish.
Serve with white Mexican rice
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