Grover’s Cheese Enchiladas | Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters
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Grover’s Cheese Enchiladas
There’s something about enchiladas that makes Grover go crazy! We all have our favorite food that we just can’t resist, and for Grover, it’s cheese enchiladas. Inspired by his insatiable appetite for this Mexican dish, we’re recreating Grover’s favorite enchiladas. But there’s a difference between the modernized and simplified Tex-Mex enchiladas that many of us might know today and the authentic Mexican street food enchiladas. We’re making the more authentic version inspired by a recipe by Diana Kennedy, known as the “Julia Child of Mexican cuisine.”
Tex-Mex Enchiladas vs. Authentic Mexican Street Food Enchiladas
Tex-Mex Enchiladas:
Many of us are familiar with Tex-Mex enchiladas. They are typically made using flour tortillas filled with beef or chicken, topped with tomato sauce and cheese, and then baked in the oven with even more cheese.
Authentic Mexican Street Food Enchiladas:
Authentic enchiladas use lightly fried corn tortillas filled with simple, fresh ingredients. Diana Kennedy explains that the tortillas are either fried and then dipped in chile sauce or dipped in the sauce before frying. The name “enchilada” signifies being smothered in chili sauce, similar to how “enmolada” refers to a mole sauce.
Ingredients and Cooking Tips:
- For authentic enchiladas, use queso fresco, a crumbly soft cheese that becomes stringy when melted. Alternatives include salted paneer or mild feta. Queso Anejo is another suitable cheese used in authentic enchiladas.
- Fresh tomatoes, chiles, and herbs are the cornerstone of traditional Mexican cooking and are recommended for authentic flavors. However Grover’s version is simplified for a quick stove top version.
- Lightly frying tortillas before filling makes them pliable and helps absorb the sauces.
Quote
Grover’s love for enchiladas is a recurring theme in the Percy Jackson series. Here are a few memorable quotes that highlight his enchilada obsession:
‘Meat!’ he said scornfully. ‘I’m a vegetarian.’
‘You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminium cans,’ I reminded him.
‘Those are vegetables. Come on. Let’s leave.’
“You should’ve seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.”
“Grover trotted around with a full plate of tin cans and enchiladas, and his goblet was full of double-espresso latte, which he kept muttering over like an incantation: ‘Pan! Pan!’”
“I’d never heard him sound so confident about anything, except maybe that cheese enchiladas were better than chicken enchiladas.”
-Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
Grover’s favorite enchiladas
It’s a fact: Grover prefers cheese enchiladas over chicken enchiladas, loves aluminium cans and black coffee!
Grover’s Enchiladas | Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil divided
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup plain flour
- 1/2 5-ounce | 140g can tomato paste
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 cup water
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 12 yellow corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 cup queso fresco or crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green spring onion
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry garlic, chili, and cinnamon for 1 minute.
- Add 1/4 cup vegetable oil and whisk in flour until a paste is formed.
- Stir in tomato paste, vegetable stock cube, and water to make a sauce. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes.
- Scrape the sauce into a bowl to cool.
- Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the pan and heat for 1 minute. Place a tortilla in the pan and fry for 30 seconds to soften. Flip tortilla in pan and smear with sauce and sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Fry further 1 minute before folding. Remove and repeat with remaining tortillas and fillings.
References
- Kennedy, D. (2000). The Essential Cuisines of Mexico. Clarkson Potter, New York.
Reddit, “Delineate for me, if you can, the main points of difference between the burrito and the enchilada? : r/mexicanfood” Accessed: 23/07/2024.