Cooking on the Quad Episode 1: Enchiladas and White Bean Dip

Welcome to our new series, “Cooking on the Quad,” where we will show you how you can make delicious meals in your very own dorm room! For this first episode, Annie makes beef enchiladas in a red sauce, while Joel shows you how to make a white bean dip without any cooking, so it’s something you can make even if you do not have a kitchen.

Beef Enchiladas:

Mix one tablespoon vegetable oil with one tablespoon all-purpose flour in a large saucepan, creating a paste. After the paste thickens slightly, about a minute, add one can (28 oz.) red enchilada sauce, 2 cups chicken broth, salt and pepper to taste, and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the mixture has reduced by half.

In the meantime, saute one medium onion, diced, in a large pan. Once the onion has softened, drop in one and a half pounds ground beef. Season the beef with salt and pepper, break it up and cook until browned, then add a 4 oz can of chopped green chiles. Remove the meat mixture to a paper-towel lined plate to drain off the extra fat.

Take out 12 small flour tortillas. Pout about half an inch of vegetable oil into a heavy skillet. To test the heat of the oil, either drop in a bit of flour or a small piece of tortilla. When the flour foams or tortilla fries, the oil is ready. One at a time, fry each tortilla for 10-20 seconds per side. Do not fry them until brown– this is only to soften them up.

When the sauce has reduced, pour about half a cup in the bottom of an 8 X 8 inch baking dish. Dip each tortilla into the remainder of the sauce, shaking off excess. Fill each tortilla with the beef mixture, chopped scallions, chopped black olives, and shredded cheddar cheese. Roll the tortillas up and place them seam-side down in the baking dish. Pour the extra sauce over the enchiladas and top with more cheddar cheese and chopped cilantro.

Move the enchiladas to a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and bubbles.

White Bean Dip:

In a large bowl, combine one 15.5 ounce can cannellini beans, 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Either blend the mixture or mash with the back of a spoon until it is smooth. Top the dip with some extra parsley.

Recipes by Ree Drummond and Bryna Fraser

Cinematographer: Gabe Stein

Video Editor: Joel Kahn

Music by RudySep