I am a fan of Jeff Smith's shows and his approachable cooking style. As
such, I have all of his books; the one I'm rereading at the moment is, "The
Frugal Gourmet On Our Immigrant Ancestors." In his chapter on the Mexican
Immigrants, there are two recipes, pp 314-315, that provide an excellent
recipe for enchiladas and the sauce. I've provided them below.

The Ranger
===

ENCHILADAS SALSA ROJA

INGREDIENTS:

Enchiladas:
1 cup peanut oil*
8 corn tortillas
1 med yellow onion, chopped finely
3/4 lb. white cheddar** cheese, grated

Salsa Roja:
2 oz. red chiles, ancho, chopped finely
1-1/2 cups hot water
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup peanut oil*
1 med. yellow onion, chopped finely
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbs. browned, all-purpose flour***
1 med tomato, chopped and cored
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar


METHOD:
Clean the chiles by removing stems and seeds; chop finely. Soak chiles
in 1-1/2 cups hot water, covered, for 1 hour. Mill entire "soup" along with
salt, garlic. [Sauce should not have any huge "chunks."] Set aside.
Heat a medium frying pan and add oil and onion. Sauté until the onion
is clear and then add the cumin and browned flour. Stir for a moment and add
tomato. Sauté until all is tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add the chile mixture
to the chicken stock, red wine vinegar. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes,
stirring until sauce thickens.
Place salsa roja in a large shallow bowl. Heat the oil in a frying pan
and fry each tortilla until pliable, just a few seconds. Dredge each
tortilla in the salsa, coating both sides. Fill each with some of the onions
and cheese and roll up. Spread a little of the salsa in a 9" X 9" baking
dish and add the enchiladas as you go along. Be sure that you put them
seam-side down so that they do not unroll during baking.
Top dish with more sauce and the remaining cheese. Bake at 350°F for 15
to 20 minutes.


* Substitute Canola, Corn, or Vegetable oils; JS prefers to use peanut oil
in many recipes, whether it's authentic or not.
** Substitute the drier Mexican cheese if you wish a more subtle flavor than
that offered by cheddar.
*** Brown by spreading flour evenly on a baking sheet in 400°F oven for 5-7
minutes (or until brown.) Beware burning; this is not something you can just
walk away and forget about.