Easy Beef and Cheese Enchiladas with Fresh Garden Relish

For my business, Cwrtau Bach Farm, I like to offer recipe ideas for the various sauces and preserves I sell.  This enchilada recipe is a family favourite and easily adaptable to what's on hand.  It comes together quickly using our Marvelous Mexican Sauce, but a taco sauce or tomato sauce with some Mexican seasoning will do.  Originally, I used just cheese in the dish but found my son would always clear his plate if I added ground beef (beef mince.) If you like it spicier, sliced jalapeños (fresh or pickled) on the top with the cheese are a tasty addition.  And of course, a bit of sour cream and coriander at the end just brings all the flavours together.  My kids don't usually go for these extra toppings, but that's the beauty of Mexican cuisine  - it's personalized!

As an accompaniment, I used the first of my greenhouse tomatoes to make a simple relish, adding a wonderful freshness and crunchiness to the enchiladas.

 Easy Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 350g lean beef mince (ground beef)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped or grated
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 jar (340g) Cwrtau Bach Farm's Marvelous Mexican Sauce, or taco sauce, chili sauce
• 250g tomato passata or canned crushed tomatoes
• 300g cottage cheese
• 50g mature cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
• 6-8 corn (or flour) tortillas (if using flour, ends may need to be trimmed to fit pan)
• salt/pepper to taste
• sliced jalapeños (optional) 
• sour cream or plain greek style yogurt (optional)
• chopped coriander (cilantro) (optional)
• Fresh Garden Relish (see recipe below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 3
2. In a medium bowl, combine Mexican sauce or taco sauce and passata (crushed tomatoes).
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef mince, crumbling and break up clumps. (If meat not so lean, drain off any liquid in the pan.)
4. Add onion and garlic when beef is nearly finished cooking through. Cook 2-3 minutes, then add 1/4 of Mexican Sauce mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir well to combine; simmer 5-7 minutes or until most liquid has been absorbed.  Remove from heat; stir in cottage cheese.
5. In a large baking dish (approx. 11" x 7"),  spread a 2-3 tablespoons of remaining sauce on bottom of dish.  Smear first tortilla in this small amount of sauce. At one end, spoon 3-4 heaping tablespoons of beef mixture onto tortilla.  Gently roll up and tuck into one end of dish, seam side down.  Repeat with remaining tortillas, filling dish snugly.
6. Pour remaining sauce mixture over rolled tortillas.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and peppers.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is golden.

Serves 3-4

 Fresh Garden Relish

Ingredients

• 3-4 medium ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 English cucumber, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 large sweet bell pepper, green, yellow or orange, coarsely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons, fresh hot chile, finely chopped (optional)
• Juice of 1 lime
• salt/pepper

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
2.  Will keep for a day.