San Antonio School Lunchroom Cheese Enchiladas

The Cen-Tex Smoker

This dish is so iconic here in Central Texas. It is the gold standard that every TexMex Joint aspires to achieve. 

In the 1950’s, San Antonio school districts set Wednesday as Enchilada day at all of their schools. It was so wildly popular, many surrounding cities (Austin included) followed suit and made Wednesday “Enchilada Day” at most of the school cafeterias. I moved to Austin from Dallas my Junior year in high school. Dallas did not and probably still does not participate in this glorious cultural icon on a styrofoam plate. I could not figure out what all the chatter about “Vera’s Enchiladas”  on Wednesday was all about. I got with the program really quickly. We still call them Vera’s Enchiladas to this day when comparing fancy plates of enchiladas at overpriced TexMex places. “Not as good as Vera’s” is pretty standard table conversation when we are comparing- and it’s been 35 years (good god that’s hard to fathom) since I have had Vera’s haha.

Janell grew up eating them, I started in High school, both my kids ate them every Wednesday from kindergarten through senior year. Attendance data shows that Wednesday is the day with highest attendance in every school that serves them and it’s also the day that is most visited by parents to eat lunch with their kids. It’s kind of a big deal.  

This week I saw that one if the school districts in San Antonio released their recipe and someone made a YouTube video of it. We knew we had to make it as soon as we saw it. We fancied it up a bit with wagyu beef, homemade everything (except tortillas in this case- we went off the shelf which is the standard). 

They were fantastic. As good as I remember and a super fun way to reconnect to a great high school memory. 

In a TexMex place, 2 enchiladas, rice, and beans is the first thing listed under Mexican plates. You can make it “Deluxe” by adding a crispy beef taco and a guacamole salad. The only level above this is adding a queso chip, which is a taco shell broken in half and smothered with queso. Our
local plate calls this version “Ganzo’s Plate” but there are many names for it. Mostly “Mexican Dinner #2 or #3 if they have a few step ups. Either way, it is the iconic TexMex plate at every restaurant down this way. 

Here is our entry into the Mexican Dinner #2 sweepstakes. 2 cheese enchiladas, rice, beans, crispy beef taco, guacamole salad with paprika red wine vinaigrette. Pictured with the 1st salsa I posted (The gold standard table salsa at all the restaurants down here) in the salsa vault thread on the crispy taco. 

I need a nap. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Video recipe embedded in the article 

https://texashighways.com/travel-news/for-the-best-enchiladas-in-texas-go-back-to-school-in-san-antonio/

shtgunal3

Dude!!!!

lkapigian

Thanks for the most awesome write up and amazing plate 

johnmitchell

Absolutely Spectacular!!!!!

dbCooper

Interesting read about some regional traditions and history.  Thanks for sharing that.

Your plate looks just great.  If it were a menu item, your name for it should be less mundane.  For sure needs "Excelente" in there!

Botch

This really made me Smile!
 
In the Sioux Falls school system it was the mighty “Pizza Burger”, a dish I haven’t seen on a menu, nor a recipe for, in fifty years.  Hmmm…

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Well, I got that nap haha. It was not voluntary either. These were so good and such a fun cook to recreate. Thanks for the kind words. Highly recommended recipe. 

It is a lot of work. I could honestly throw a dart at a map of San Antonio and hit a spot where I could go get this for $12. That said, I am so glad I know how to make this now. Having this in the repertoire is serious street cred down here. 

lousubcap

Great story and your and TFJ's results.  Thanks for the stand-alone post and link.

caliking

Very behind on forum-ing, but this thread has haunted me for days.

I want to just bury my face in that plate. Don't care what my MIL says.

Botch

Haunted me too, and I did a split-screen to write down the measurements from the posted video, adding conversions as required (that video was a phuster-cluck; some flour measurements in oz and some in cups, and WhoTFH measures tomato paste in ounces?!?!?  (on the bright side, the intranetz does have a oz-to-Tablespoon tomato paste conversion site/calculator, so... yay, I guess?).  
My intent was to multiply all measurements by 33%, so they would match up to a standard 1-lb pkg of ground beef, how 95% of us buy it.  That won't match up with 36 enchiladas, but:
1) I'd never make 36 enchiladas at once, anyway, and
2) I'd save the extra sauce for breakfast eggs, burritos, maybe sprinkled on popcorn?  
 
Here's what I came up with, pre-conversion to 1-lb-beef measurements; I'll update it when/if I go thru that headache:
 

Enchiladas, San Antonio Public School System
 
 
Enchilada sauce 
3 oz flour (2/3 cup)
2.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 2/3 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
2/3 cup oil
2 cups water
   
Spice Mix
1/3 cup flour
1/2 Tbs salt
1/4 tsp gran garlic
1 3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 Tbs cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 Tbs chili powder
 
Assembly
 
12 oz ground beef
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cup diced tomato
2 1/4 oz tomato paste (4.5 Tbs)  
24 oz shredded cheese 
 
 

• Whisk together sauce mix in a bowl

• Heat oil in a pot

• Toast spice mix in oil

• Slowly whisk in 2 cups water, simmer 30-45 minutes

• Brown beef, whisk in Spice Mix, simmer 3 minutes

• Add tomato and paste, bring to a simmer, cook 30 minutes

• Steam 36 corn tortillas

• Add 1/2 oz cheese to each tortilla, roll, into greased pan seam-side down

• Douse with Enchilada Sauce, 100% coverage (reserve some for topping if desired)

• Top with remaining cheese, bake at 350º til cheese is bubbly

• Serve in partitioned cafeteria tray with wilted veggies no kid will eat

alaskanassasin

Thanks @Botch

MaskedMarvel

Botch said:

….
My intent was to multiply all measurements by 33%, so they would match up to a standard 1-lb pkg of ground beef, how 95% of us buy it.  That won't match up with 36 enchiladas, but:

…
 
Here's what I came up with, pre-conversion to 1-lb-beef measurements; I'll update it when/if I go thru that headache:


….
THANK YOU 8-D

fishlessman

wednesday here was mystery meat on powdered potatoes......i would like to think it was canned boiled brisket but i would be fooling myself damn does that look good

TechsasJim

Growing up in Houston this wasn’t an option on our lunch menus - for whatever reason.  However I could hit a driver from my house to 5 different restaurants and that dish is on all the menus for exactly $12.   

Well done man!!!    

The Cen-Tex Smoker

TechsasJim said:

Growing up in Houston this wasn’t an option on our lunch menus - for whatever reason.  However I could hit a driver from my house to 5 different restaurants and that dish is on all the menus for exactly $12.   

Well done man!!!    

Thanks! It was fun and I learned a lot. 

DoubleEgger

Tell me more about the rice please. 

YukonRon

What a wonderful read. I certainly look forward to your posts, and what a way to start my way back in to the Big Green Egg world of elite chefs. I have missed my friends here.

Your cooks, as always, are first rate, this one has zero variation. Delicious food, with a better, well defined, understanding of the landing zone. It hit right on the money.

Thank you for sharing, stay well my friend.

EGGjlmh

Wow man, your awesome!  You sure can cook a taco!!!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

DoubleEgger said:

Tell me more about the rice please. 

I’ll see if I can get TFJ to divulge. That is her deal. It’s very good. 

smbishop

Thanks for sharing, your plate looks amazing, and I saved this for making soon!  BTW - In the comments on the YouTube video, someone also wrote out the recipe.