authentic enchurritos

 
These are the most authentic enchiladas I have ever made. When I taught kindergarten, one year I had two autistic boys in my classroom. They had an aide who helped them and helped me and her name was Mrs. Chavez. We became great friends and after I told her how much I love enchiladas she brought me a homemade enchilada and described how she made the sauce from scratch. It was the best enchilada I had ever tasted! When I saw this recipe years ago I realized this recipe is very close to the recipe she described. Although her enchiladas were better, this is a great recipe.

authentic enchurritos
2 tablespoons oil
3 pounds round steak, cut into 1/2" cubes or you can use ground beef
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 green bell pepper minced
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup tomato sauce

sauce:
1/2 cup oil
1 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper
tortillas
1 1/2 cups or more mild cheddar cheese, grated

For the filling, heat oil in a large skillet over high heat and brown beef 8-10 minutes. Add onions and peppers and cook until soft. Stir in garlic powder, cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in
flour and then add tomato sauce and 1 1/2 cups water. Scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until meat is falling apart, 2-3 hours.
For the sauce, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring until deep golden, 10-15 minutes. Add cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, tomato paste, and salt (I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons) and pepper (1/4 teaspoon) to taste. Gradually stir in 5 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until thick, 25-30 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.
Note: The sauce smells divine, however when you taste it, you may think it lacks flavor at first. Don't lose heart. Assemble the enchurritos before you judge the flavor. Once they are assembled with melted cheese on top you'll realize they are very flavorful.
Roll up tortillas with filling. Pour sauce over the top and sprinkle cheese on top.

What I have to say- the more cheese on top the better!! If the cheese doesn't melt completely by the heat of the sauce then sometimes I slip it into the microwave for a few seconds. Top with Suzette's Taco Salsa.