black bean and cheese enchiladas

Ingredients for the Enchilada sauce:

two bell peppers chopped (any colour will do)

1x chilli pepper (red or green)

two cloves garlic (sliced)

1/2 a large onion

3 tablespoons oil

one teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons flour (to create a roux or use cornstarch to thicken the sauce, or cheat and use onion gravy mix)

2 1/2 tablespoons butter

2 cups water

fresh cilantro(Coriander) about a good handful of washed leaves and stalks

to make the bean and cheese enchiladas you will need:

wraps (I used coriander and garlic flavoured wraps but any will do this is a quick recipe)

a can of black beans (drained)

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

sour cream or creme fraiche

Instructions:

heat the oil a large frying pan. Add the garlic, onion, peppers and chilli and fry until nicely coloured.

In a sauce pan melt the butter and add the flour to create a thick roux. (ignore this step if you are being lazy and using cornstarch or onion gravy mix *ahem* which you will add with the water)

Add the onion, garlic, peppers and chilli to the pot with two cups water, cumin, salt, pepper, and oregano. Bring just to the boil and switch off.

Add the fresh cilantro (coriander) and blend the sauce using a blending wand (stick whatever you call it, or an actual blender).

Set the sauce aside while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Preheat oven at 180c (356F)

Open the package of wraps (tortillas) and place a few spoons of black beans and a few spoons of grated cheese. roll up the wrap and place it in a 9x13 baking dish. Repeat until the dish is full of wraps (I left mine open on the ends but you can wrap them like a small burrito if you prefer.

Pour the sauce evenly over the wraps/enchiladas.

Sprinkle more cheese on top.

Pop the dish in the oven until the cheese is golden brown on top and the sauce is bubbling on the sides.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

cook's notes: This is a quick down and dirty recipe. I have made plenty of chicken enchiladas and sauce before so I knew the basics but as it was getting late I decided to mod what I normally do to adapt it for time and laziness. The sauce isn't that spicy as H was eating with us but has just enough bite that we were all happy. Because the sauce was quickly made it tasted very fresh and zesty. If I had had some lime I would have added a few squeezes to the sauce. I know the basics of making a roux but really could not be assed to make it so thickened the sauce with a few spoons of caramelized onion gravy. Everyone loved dinner and there is still half a pan to reheat for lunch today.