Recipes that celebrate life as an immigrant

Sometimes, being in the kitchen is an experience that's about much more than just cooking.

For Andrea Pons, food stylist and immigration rights advocate turned cookbook author, it's about family and keeping them together. “Mamacita” is Andrea's debut cookbook and she joined New Day to share a recipe from the book.

Enfrijoladas

Bean Enchiladas / SERVES 4 TO 6 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 dried guajillo peppers (or 2 dried California peppers), seeds removed 
• 1 dried ancho pepper, seeds removed 
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 small white onion, chopped 
• 2 serrano peppers, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon smoked paprika 
• 3 cups canned black beans, with their liquid
• 2 cups chicken stock, plus more as needed
• Sea salt 
• 12 corn tortillas 

TOPPINGS:

• Sour cream
• Crumbled queso fresco 
• Shredded iceberg lettuce 1 cup 
• Cooked shredded chicken (optional)

I grew up eating enfrijoladas at least a few times per month. Enfrijoladas are essentially enchiladas, but with a silky bean sauce that will have you going back for more. It’s hard for me to stop eating these once I start, and I can often eat four before my self-control kicks in. Enjoy these topped with crema, queso fresco, and shredded lettuce, and if you want to make them the way my papa likes, top with salsa verde.

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the guajillo and ancho peppers and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then after 1 minute, lower the heat to medium heat and simmer until the peppers are soft, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the peppers and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the serrano peppers, garlic, cumin, paprika, the beans and their liquid, and the chicken stock. Season with salt. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. In a blender, combine the peppers and the bean mixture. Pulse into a smooth sauce. Return to the same large saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. If your sauce is too thick, slowly add more chicken stock. Transfer the sauce to a bowl.
4. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. One by one, fry the tortillas, flipping once, until softened. You want flexible tortillas, not crispy tostadas. Set the fried tortillas on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
5. Soak each fried tortilla in the bean sauce and roll them up. Serve on a plate, topped with sour cream, queso fresco, and shredded lettuce. And if you’d like, you can dip the tortillas in the bean sauce and fill with shredded chicken before rolling.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Andrea Pons is a Seattle based production manager and food stylist. She has worked for restaurants and companies including Le Creuset and Starbucks. Born in Guanajuato, Mexico and raised in the United States, Andrea creates recipes that encourage readers to share a meal around the dinner table and that raise awareness about immigration. Andrea and her work can be found at mamacitacookbook.com.

Segment Producer Suzie Wiley. Watch New Day Northwest at 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.