Honduras

Tonight we cooked Honduran enchiladas. They were a little bit time consuming but also really fun to make. they were also delicious. I would rate these enchiladas an 8 out of 10. My sister who is a very picky eater also really liked them which is a really good sign.

Honduran History

Honduras is in the middle of Central America with a physical environment that is tropical and dry. It was once covered with rainforest and many different types of trees but most of them have been logged, cut for farming, and cleared for commercial banana plantations.

Honduras was inhabited by many different indigenous tribes of great linguistic and cultural diversity such as the Maya, who also populated the Yucatán, Belize, and the northeast of Guatemala, and who built their sacred city and ceremonial metropolis in Copán, in the western part of Honduras. After the collapse of the Mayan civilization, the history of Honduras becomes a series of struggles for the people who slowly settled in various parts of the Honduran territory. Soon after, Christopher Columbus landed in Guatemala leading to the Spanish beginning the conquest of Honduran territory. After bitter struggles between the Spanish and the native population including slavery and genocide, Honduras became independent.

The Honduran people are an ethnic mix of native Indian, Garifuna, Spanish and other nationalities. The cuisine is similar to Mexican but it is prepared differently. Rice, beans, bananas, plantains, scrambled eggs, and tortillas are the staples of the Honduran die and are served in restaurants and homes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner year-round.

Enchiladas

Ingredients

Sauce:

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

One 28-ounce can enchilada or Mexican red sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Meat:

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

The Rest:

Canola oil, for frying

10 to 14 corn tortillas

Two 4-ounce cans diced green chilies

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped black olives

3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

Cilantro, for garnish

Directions

For the sauce:

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the canola oil and flour. Whisk together and allow to bubble for 1 minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

For the meat:

While the sauce is simmering, brown the ground beef with the onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the fat, add the salt and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and set aside.

For the rest:

In a small skillet over medium heat, heat some canola oil. Lightly fry the tortillas just until soft. Do not crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the tortillas have been fried.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Next, one at a time, dip each tortilla into the sauce. Set the sauce-soaked tortilla on a plate. Place on some of the meat mixture, chilies, green onions and black olives. Top with a generous portion of grated Cheddar. Roll up the tortilla to contain the filling inside.

Place the tortilla seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and pour the remaining sauce over the top. End with a generous sprinkling of cheese and any other bits of chiles, green onions or olives you have left over from the filling.

Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top and serve.