Stacked spinach enchiladas smothered with a Hatch green chile cheese sauce, filled with ingredients that create a fusion of Mexican and New Mexican cuisines.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information, related links, and substitutions.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
Add the spinach and 2 Tbsp. water. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until spinach has wilted.*
Toast the piñon in a small skillet until lightly toasted. Spread over the top of spinach mixture along with the chopped cilantro.
Remove the cover to let cool.
Melt the butter in a sauce pan. When melted add the flour and whisk until smooth.
Slowly add the milk, whisking as your pour for a smooth texture. Over medium heat, bring the sauce to the start of a gentle boil.
Lower heat to a simmer and whisk in the white pepper, salt, and Fontina. Stir until Fontina has melted.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of Monterey Jack until melted.
Add the roasted green chile and stir*. Transfer sauce to a wide bowl (a little wider than the width of a tortilla.)
Generously coat the bottom and sides of a 12 inch, oven-proof skillet* with butter or oil.
Dip 4 tortillas (one at a time) in the sauce and lay the tortillas in a single layer across the bottom of skillet so that most of the surface is covered. There will be a little overlapping. Scoop about 1/2 cup of the green chile sauce over the tortillas. Top with half of the spinach mixture.
Dip 4 more tortillas in sauce and place in a single layer on top of spinach layer.
Pour about 1/2 cup of the green chile sauce on top.
Spread the rest of the spinach mixture over the tortillas.
Dip the last 4 tortillas in the tortilla sauce* and layer on top of the second spinach layer.
Pour the remaining green chile cheese sauce on top of the last layer of tortillas, then top that with 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven or until sauce becomes bubbly and cheese starts to brown.
Skillet - I prefer using a 12" oven proof skillet but you could also use a rectangular casserole dish (large enough to hold 3 layers, each layer with 4 tortillas, 2 layers of filling and sauce).
Piñon (aka pine nuts) - Good substitutions are toasted chopped almond, Brazil nuts, or pepitas (pumpkin seeds).
Spinach - That's a lot of spinach to fit in a skillet; therefore, you might need to add a little bit at a time as the spinach begins to wilt.
Fontina - Substitute the Fontina with another low temperature melting, mild flavored cheese like provolone, Gouda, Gruyere, or mozzarella.
Roasted Green Chile - As always, the amount of chile used depends on the spiciness of the chile and how much heat you can handle. I usually make the sauce quite spicy because it becomes less spicy once incorporated into the enchiladas.
Substitution - If you don't have access to New Mexico green chile you can substitute roasted poblano.
Thickness of green chile sauce - Don't let your sauce get too thick before adding the cheese because it will thicken with the cheese and later in the oven. Your sauce needs to be just thick enough to coat the tortillas when dipping. After dipping the tortillas for the third layer, your sauce may be pretty thick. Add a little milk to give you enough to pour over the top of the finished enchiladas.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen