Pumpkin & Chorizo Enchiladas with Cinnamon-spiced Crema

This is a fun recipe that my aunt shared with me, from the Food Network magazine. Yum! It is actually meant to be butternut squash and chorizo, so I'm going to post the original recipe first and then tell you about my modifications. Also, I doubled the recipe because I bought 2 things of chorizo and my husband is a cow. :) I now have an 8x8 of enchiladas (about 6) that I'm going to freeze for a later date. So here we go!

Butternut Squash and Chorizo Enchiladas with Cinnamon-spiced Crema

Sauce:

2 oz butter

5 T flour

2 C beef broth

4 T chili powder

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 C Cacique Crema Mexicana

Melt butter in saucepan and whisk in flour. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in broth. Add remaining ingredients, except Crema Mexicana, and whisk thoroughly. Bring to a slight boil and remove from heat. Let cool, let mix in Crema Mexicana.

Filling:

10 oz Cacique Chorizo (pork or beef - this is one tube of it)

1 small butternut squash, or 1 - 16 oz bag frozen butternut squash, cooked as per package instructions

Cook chorizo according to package instructions and drain well. Set aside. Split squash in half, remove seeds, poke holes in surface, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Allow to cool, then scoop out tender flesh and meat. Add cooled chorizo. (see, this would be SO much faster with frozen or canned squash, like the pumpkin)

Topping:

12-16 corn tortillas

1/2 package (5 oz) Cacique Queso Quesadilla, shredded

Lightly coat bottom of a baking dish with sauce. Scoop filling into tortillas, roll and place in baking pan. Cover the tops of the enchiladas with sauce and top with shredded Queso Quesadilla. Bake uncovered at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is browned/melted.

So... my adjustments.... I used canned pumpkin puree, flour tortillas, and the Mexican blend of shredded cheese from Walmart because 1. I wanted to make it with pumpkin because that is how my aunt recommended to make it and because Patrick would NEVER eat it if it had butternut squash in it (though I think that would be good), and 2. because those are the things I had and this way I didn't have to buy more. Use whatcha' got! :) I do think it'd be really good with the corn tortillas and I'll do that next time for sure.

Here is our chorizo and pumpkin blend. Next time I make this I will use HALF the amount of pumpkin/squash it calls for. With the pumpkin you get a sweet pumpkin pie taste (no, I didn't use pumpkin pie filling, I used pumpkin) and Patrick didn't like it. We like a little more kick in our food. My aunt said her's had quite the kick, so maybe I just put too much pumpkin in. However, there is another kick... just wait....

Here is our Cinnamon-spiced Crema. YUM! It reminded me a lot of enchilada sauce you might find served at a restaurant. In all honesty, I think this entire thing could be on a restaurant menu - it's that good! This stuff has a little kick because of the chili powder in it.

See? This is what happens when your little one wants to taste the food even though you tell her it's spicy.

Don't worry, we gave her some milk and she is fine now. :)

Here is our mixture going down on the tortilla. Fill 'em up! Yum!

And this is a happy kid who thinks she's helping SUPER MUCHO! :) She was stirring the Crema while I poured it into the baking dish.

(We're working on keeping eyes open for pictures. :p)

And here we are laying the enchiladas in the pan. Remember, I made double what the recipe called for. Or I made fatter ones than they would be... Either way. :)

Put the crema and cheese on top. Looks so good!

Finished product after hubby started at them. Pour a little crema on top (I know, I did such a pretty job at that part!)

We actually ate ours with Valentina and sour cream on top. The Valentina hot sauce countered the sweetness of the pumpkin and the sour cream helped to cut it as well. The Valentina is in the same family of heat and peppers so it went really well - better than Chalula, my current love. :)

So there you have it! Enjoy! They were MIGHTY tasty!! In fact, I'm going to go have one right now! Yummmmmm.....