Fiesta Enchiladas

Prepare Red Chile Sauce and set aside.

Red Chile Sauce:
Lay 8 to 12 dried red New Mexico or California chiles (about 3 oz. total) in a baking pan. Bake in a 300° F oven just until fragrant (3 to 4 minutes). Remove from oven; let cool. Discard stems, seeds, and veins. Rinse and drain chiles; transfer to a 2- to 3-quart pan. Add 2 cups beef broth, 2 cloves garlic (peeled), 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chiles are very soft (about 20 minutes).

Whirl chile mixture and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a blender or food processor until smoothly pureed. Pour puree through a fine strainer into a bowl; rub with a spoon to extract liquid. Discard residue. You should have 2 cups; if not, add water to make 2 cups. Return puree to pan; stir over high heat until boiling (or until reduced to 2 cups, if you have over 2 cups chile puree). If made ahead, let cool; then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat before using. Makes about 2 cups.

Place pork, onions, and 1/3 cup water in a 5- to 6-quart pan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover; cook over high heat, stirring often, until almost all juices have evaporated and browned bits begin to stick to pan (about 20 minutes).

Add chili powder, oregano, and broth; stir to scrape browned bits free. Bring mixture to a boil; then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is very tender when pierced (45 minutes to 1 hour). Uncover; cook over high heat, stirring to break meat into shreds, until mixture is reduced to about 3 cups -- about 30 minutes. (At this point, you may let cool, then cover and refrigerate until next day.)

To assemble enchiladas, immerse a tortilla in a bowl of very hot water until pliable (5 to 15 seconds); drain. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the pork filling in center of tortilla; roll to enclose. Set enchilada, seam side down, in a lightly oiled 10- by 15-inch nonstick rimmed baking pan. Repeat to use remaining tortillas, arranging enchiladas in pan in a single layer. Cover pan with foil. (At this point, you may refrigerate for up to 2 hours.)

Bake, covered, in a 350-degree F oven until enchiladas are hot in center (about 15 minutes; about 25 minutes if refrigerated). Uncover and sprinkle with cheese; continue to bake until cheese is melted (8 to 10 more minutes).

Cover a platter with green chiles; top evenly with hot Red Chile Sauce. Set enchiladas in sauce; scatter with cilantro sprigs. Makes 6 servings.

Red Chile Sauce. Lay 8 to 12 dried red New Mexico or California chiles (about 3 oz. total) in a baking pan. Bake in a 300° F oven just until fragrant (3 to 4 minutes). Remove from oven; let cool. Discard stems, seeds, and veins. Rinse and drain chiles; transfer to a 2- to 3-quart pan. Add 2 cups beef broth, 2 cloves garlic (peeled), 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chiles are very soft (about 20 minutes).

Whirl chile mixture and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a blender or food processor until smoothly pureed. Pour puree through a fine strainer into a bowl; rub with a spoon to extract liquid. Discard residue. You should have 2 cups; if not, add water to make 2 cups. Return puree to pan; stir over high heat until boiling (or until reduced to 2 cups, if you have over 2 cups chile puree). If made ahead, let cool; then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat before using. Makes about 2 cups.