Jstar Enchilladas

BEST FREAKIN' ENCHILADAS
(so funny, I just have to open the cookbook to the most rippled & weathered page & ta-da! there's the recipe...they are THAT good)
6 servings (yeah, right, more like 4)

TORTILLAS
12 flour tortillas
Butter for brushing (I usually use about 3/4 of a stick)
Salsa for brushing (you want to go with a mild-ish salsa, becasue stuff gets hot w/the jalapeno in the sauce)

FILLING
2 TBS canola oil
5 large garlic cloves, peeled & minced (I usually throw in a couple extra for good measure and good breath)
3/4 cup chopped onion (1 med-lg onion)
1 cup red bell pepper (orange & yellow work fine, too) (1 lg pepper)
1 cup green bell pepper (only green will do here, duh) (1 lg pepper)
2 - 2 1/4 cups cooked basmati rice
1 lg tomato, diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin (ummm, cumin)
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz, or 1/2 a brick)
1 cup grated jalapeno jack cheese (see above)

SAUCE (now we're talkin...)
(if you use a food processor, I say you don't have to do any of the chopping listed below, coarse or otherwise)

2 lg cloves garlic, peeled & coarsely chopped (coarse chopping is for suckers)
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced (slicing is for suckers, but depending on how hot you want this, I would remove at least most of the seeds, and, for cryin' out loud, DO NOT TOUCH THE SEEDS OR THE INSIDE OF THE PEPPER WITH YOUR HANDS, and if you do, DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES, NOSE, LIPS, or other mucous membranes--I cannot stress this enough!!! Just use a freakin' rubber glove...sheesh)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (just throw that sh*t in the food processor, chop schmop)
1/2 cup sour cream (low-fat is ok)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (god, still thinking about that pepper oil...promise me you'll be careful!)
1/4 cup salsa (again, choose something mild)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 scallions, thinly sliced (yeah, these you'll have to slice)

Ok, here we go...

Did you forget that it said 2 cups of COOKED rice? If so, cook it NOW!

Oven 400 degrees.

Heat a skillet over med heat. Brush the tortillas with a dab (ha!) of butter and salsa, and fry them lightly, about 30 seconds per side. Go ahead and resign yourself to the fact that this step is tedious and time-consuming as hell, but oh so necessary. Set aside.

For the filling, heat oil in a large (really large!) skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic, onion, red and green bell peppers until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the rice, tomato, salt, cumin, chili powder and cheeses. Stir it up really well, you don't want some to have giants globs of cheese while others have none...that would just be sad.

Spread the tortillas on a work surface. Divide the filling among them, spreading about 1/3 cup in a line down the center. (I usually end up putting a little more, but that's because when I shop for the ingredients, I usually go for the biggest examples of each type of produce. You should have enough to put almost 1/2 cup of filling in each tortilla if you do this, too, and you want to be like me, right? Thought so...) Roll them bee-atches up. Place them, seam side down, in a casserole dish. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted (Wait a sec, how are you supposed to know if the cheese is melted?! It's in the middle!!! I think they do better at 15-18 minutes, because they're better a little crispy and browned on the outside. Use your own discretion...)

Meanwhile, SAUCE TIME!!! In a blender or food processor, puree the garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro with the sour cream and yogurt. Add the salsa, salt and cumin, and process until smooth (like me). Pour sauce into the smallest saucepan you got, and add the scallions (but not all of them, because it's so pretty when you sprinkle some on top later).

Just before serving, heat the sauce until hot & spoon it over the enchiladas. Now bust out those scallion I told yuo to save, and sprinkle them over the top. Isn't that pretty? Now sit back, and wait for your man to bow down and kiss your feet.