When I asked Julie Kuhlken Co-Founder of Pedernales Cellars in Stonewall, Tx, for help identifying a recipe to pair with one of the fabulous Texas wines Pedernales creates, she shared what would turn out to be the perfect match of a Texas recipe with a Texas wine.
What’s especially nice about this recipe is its simplicity and uniqueness. The Manchego cheese, a Spanish rather than a Mexican cheese, paired so well with the Texas Viognier. This wine can easily found at your favorite grocery store but I recommend a drive out to visit the beautiful winery this Fall when the weather will be perfect. The wines are spectacular, award-winning and the location of the winery on its high bluff above the Hill Country is charming and relaxing. Bon Appetit!
Recipe by Trish Wesevich & Julie Kuhlken, Pedernales Cellars
Filling Ingredients
2-3 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 onion, cut into strips
salt & pepper to taste
12 corn or gluten free tortillas, softened
6 oz. of grated Manchego cheese
Sauce ingredients
10 oz. fresh spinach
1 poblano chile, seeded and diced
2 cups cream or milk, divided
3 TBS butter
2 TBS flour or gluten free alternative flour
salt to taste
Start by making the spinach cream sauce. Blanch the spinach, and place it along with the poblano chile and 1 cup of the cream into a blender. Blend until vegetables are puréed. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour to make a roux. Pour in the spinach-poblano mixture as well as the other cup of cream. Simmer until thickened, add salt and pepper and set aside.
To create the shredded chicken, place the chicken breasts in a saucepan and cover with the chicken broth and onions. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and shred. Add salt to taste, and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place about 1-2 TBS of shredded chicken on the center of each tortilla and roll up. Place enchiladas in a shallow baking pan or individual cast iron skillets. Ladle sauce over the enchiladas, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 10 minutes in the oven. Broil the top for a minute until golden.
