Wanna hear me scream?! Arghhhh! (Wait, it came out like I was scared….kind of high and screechy.) ARRGHHHHH! (There we go that one was a bit deeper and throaty.)
Why do I scream you ask? I kind of have something that irritates me and I need to get it off of my back. (I also have an itchy spot on the center of my back that irritates me in the winter. I found a disposable chopstick can reach it perfectly but the only problem is that it itches 20 minutes later.)
The real issue is that the thing that bothers me is something I am also guilty of doing so I can’t really complain about it because I am a culprit of the same dirty deed. In other words, I am kind of a hypocrite.
It is all a matter of semantics (defined as the meaning or the interpretation of a word, sentence, or other language form.) In my case, it is cooking semantics.
Now I know, you shouldn’t quibble about semantics. (You also shouldn’t use the words quibble unless you want people to stop listening at that instant and give you a glassed over look.)
I will look at menus and see descriptions of entrees and start screaming. ARRGHHHHHH! I then go into an awesome diatribe of saying things like that isn’t right, are they off their nuts or where did they learn to cook! (I might even name call a little bit…behind their backs…because most people are bigger than me….and I don’t run very fast.)
If they would just give it a different name, I’d be fine but I get all caught up in the semantics.
This anger isn’t reserved for restaurants it comes out with home cooks too. I don’t say anything but in my head I keep repeating that isn’t right. I spit on your recipe and hope your oven breaks. (I really don’t spit on recipes because that is rude and when I spit I tend to miss and land it on myself.)
Here is where we have a problem. I don’t “always” stay true to authentic food descriptions either. Not all my piccatas are piccatas. I’ve cheated on scampis, pot roasts and chilis. I’ve even made carrot cake with no carrots. (Oh yes, then it is just cake. I hear you screaming!)
I am just as guilty as changing the key descriptive cooking methods or namesake ingredients. It does truly embarrass me and I am now hanging my head in shame from my hypocrisy.
My mind got really wrapped around this deceit when I made enchiladas the other night. To me, an enchilada is “stuff” wrapped in a tortilla, covered in a sauce and baked.
But after doing some reading, I found that I was only partially right. An enchilada is supposed to be a corn tortilla and I always use flour tortillas. (I hear people screaming and calling me names. I’ve gotta say it hurts.)
I like corn tortillas but in all honesty, they don’t like me. (Corn tortillas don’t like to quibble or people who get on a high horse about food semantics.)
After searching the Internet, I really couldn’t find an authentic Mexican term for an “enchilada” made with flour tortillas. Actually, the smack talk on this topic was quite intimidating. I almost was scared to post this recipe.
But maybe if I don’t call it an enchilada, no one will chase me down the street with their corn tortillas yelling FRAUD. So maybe I’ll call them Enchilfladas (get it…the “f” makes it not an enchilada BUT something like an enchilada made with a flour tortilla! Brilliant!)
This experience has taught me one thing…simmer down on the food semantics and just enjoy what is placed in front of you. (Unless it tastes horrible and then I’ll be really mad!)
Chicken, Kale and Pepper Enchilfladas
(This is one of those easy weeknight recipes people have been requesting)
Ingredients.
Meat off of 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 cups kale
Juice of 1 lime
1 orange pepper, diced
½ a jalapeno, diced
2 cups cheese
6-8 flour tortillas
1-2 cups enchilada sauce (I used a red sauce and a green sauce. Yep, I won’t even pretend to give them authentic names because I’ve already made up on name this post.)
Optional: sour cream, chopped green onions, avocado slices
Directions
Oven 400
In a large bowl, add the kale and limejuice. Using your hands massage and tear the kale into little pieces, add the shredded chicken, about 1 ½ cups of the cheese, orange pepper and jalapeno.
Mix well.
Prepare a 9 x 13 casserole dish with smear of the enchilada sauce on the bottom.
Take a flour tortilla and put a heaping mound of the chicken mixture in it and roll it up.
Place it seam side down in the pan.
I was able to fill 7 and had leftover filling left. (Don’t toss it away…)
Top the rolled enchiladas with your enchilada sauce. I did it in alternating stripes so you could get a little red and green on each enchilada.
You don’t want to drown you Enchilfladas. You want them to have a nice coating of sauce.
Now remember that leftover filling, mix the remaining ½ cup of cheese with it and sprinkle it over the top.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
It should be kind of bubbly and I like to have a tiny bit of crispy on the edges.
I added a little sprinkle of green onion, sour cream and avocado when it came out and it was goooooood!
Does this mean I’m not going to have a fit every time someone doesn’t go by the culinary bible of terms? No…..but I will allow for some explanation before I start cursing people in my mind.
