Stacked Enchiladas

This Enchilada dish is from my great grandmother, my grandmother, my mother and I. It is not folded and stuffed; it's stacked.  It takes a little time to prepare but it is a really great dish.  No meat so you can serve it during Lent.

Stacked Enchiladas

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, or to taste, minced

4 10.7-ounce cans red Enchilada sauce

36 7-inch corn tortillas, dried at room temperature for 30 minutes

Vegetable oil for frying

3-4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 large white onions, finely diced

1 6-ounce can small black olives, minced in food processor

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

Garnish: Chopped green onion, sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium sauce large skillet, cook the garlic in the olive oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is fragrant, stir 3 cans of the red Enchilada sauce and bring to a slow simmer.

In an iron skillet, heat 1/4 inch of the vegetable oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. In it, fry the tortillas, 1 at a time, turning them, 3 to 4 seconds, or until they are softened, and transfer them with tongs as they are fried to paper towels to drain.

Using tongs, dip fried tortilla into Enchilada sauce and place on a cookie sheet. Place a small amount of cheese, then onion, then olives on tortilla; repeat five times, until you have a stack of six tortillas; repeat until you have six stacks.

Place cookie sheet in oven and bake until cheese in melted and edges of tortillas are just browning, about 20 minutes. Rest on counter 5 minutes and cut each stack into four wedges. Serve wedges with extra Enchilada sauce.

Pour remaining can of Enchilada sauce into a small bowl and mix with cornstarch, add to remaining Enchilada sauce used for dipping and bring to a boil. Pour sauce into a serving pitcher and serve with Enchilada stacks.

Garnish with chopped onion and sour cream as desired.

Cooks note: If you serving people who do not like onion or olives you can make two stacks as above, two with just cheese and onion and two with just cheese.