Fiesta for 100: Refried Beans, Mexican Rice, and Chicken Enchiladas

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Refried Beans

6 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pound 6 ounces onions, chopped
6 tablespoons garlic, minced

6 tablespoons ground cumin
11 pounds dried  pinto beans, cooked or canned, drained (7 pound 8 ounces drained weight)

In a medium, heavy pot, heat oil. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until soft (10 minutes). Add garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook 2 minutes more.
If using canned pintos, rinse to partially remove salt. In a food processor, purée beans, adding small amount of the bean water to thin. Leave some beans whole. Put beans into pot with remaining sauce and heat, stirring often.

Spanish Rice–multiply 3x for 100 people

• 1 3/4 cups bacon drippings, divided in half
• 5 cups  long grain or converted rice
  

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•  3 cups onion
• 80 0z. canned tomatoes (about 3/4 of a #10 can)
• 10 cups low sodium chicken broth, (hopefully made from the leftover chicken bones from enchiladas– easy!  Add bones and skin to ginourmous pot, with 3 big onions, 6 big carrots, 4 celery stalks, and a jar of
• Tomato Bouillon Base, like Knorrs or whatever’s cheapest.

Put broth and tomatoes on to heat in a pan that can be covered.
Saute rice in about half the oil or dripping until all is lightly browned.
Saute onion,with spices in the rest of the oil until crisp tender.
When tomato-water boils, add rice and other liquid flavorings. Stir in the seasoned onion blend. Cover the pot with a tight lid or foil.

Cooking method 1: Stovetop: Simmer covered until rice is tender, about 30-40 minutes. Timing depends on amount and depth in pan.
Cooking method 2: Alternate oven method: Instead of simmering rice, pour into casserole pan, cover tightly and put in oven at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Timing depends on amount and depth in pan.
Fluff rice and  before serving.

Chicken Enchiladas for 100

•  oil for roasting pan
• 30  pounds chicken breasts
  

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• 1 lb bulger, rehydrated
• Salt and pepper
• scant 1/2 cup cumin powder and garlic powder, mixed, or
• 1/4 cup   Mexican Spice Blend,
• 200 corn tortillas
• 3 # 10 cans  enchilada sauce
• 3   5 lb  bags  shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses (Mexican Blend
• a # 10 can of black olives,( for garnish,  if your budget can spare it!)

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Roast chicken in 350 degree oven until 160 internal temp.  Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning.  Allow to cool. Save delicious chicken roasting juices to add to your stockpot for Spanish Rice

Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to big stainless bowl and  combine with the  rehydrated  Bulgar.

Microwave tortillas in stacks of 10, on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable, or alternatively, warm in oven in foil packs of 30 or so, until soft and rollable. Coat the bottom of 1/2 sheet pan with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

250 flour tortillas, fajita size

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6 pounds cream cheese
30 pounds chicken, cooked, shredded

5 cups salsa

2 1/2 gallons whole corn niblets, steamed or
1 gallon tri-color peppers, shredded fine and sauteed
OR bulgar wheat, (my preference)
5 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons black pepper
1/2 tablespoon cayenne
3 tablespoons oregano

4 pounds (16 cups) grated cheese
OPTIONAL 5 pounds black olives, sliced, drained
Sprinkle grated cheese over the top, sprinkle on the olives.

OPTIONAL garnish at serving
3 quarts sour cream
6 quarts salsa

In a medium bowl soften the cream cheese . Stir in 5  cups of the salsa. Stir in the chicken, the vegetables or bulgar, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, and 1/2 of the scallions. Add the chicken mixture to the cheese mixture and stir to combine. Brush or spray tortillas with oil, and fry on medium high quickly, until browned and puffy on one side, then flip to heat the remaining side.
Oil a  baking dish–large size roasting pan to fit food warmer.  Place about a 1/3 cup of the filling on a tortilla, roll up and transfer to the baking dish with the seam side down. Repeat process for remaining tortillas. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Enchiladas may be prepared up to this point 12 hours in advance. Transfer to preheated oven(350) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until hot crispy.  Sprinkle with the remaining scallions if desired,  and serve warm.