NO-BAKE SWEET PEA ENCHILADAS

Ingredients

for the sofrito

  • 1 pound carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • ½ pound ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

for the filling

  • 9 ounces Cotija cheese
  • 1½ cups frozen peas, thawed
  • 1½ cups fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup finely chopped white onion

for serving

  • Grapeseed oil, or other neutral oil, for frying
  • 16 (6-7 inch) corn tortillas
  • 2 tablespoons pepitas, lightly toasted
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
  • 1 avocado, cut into small chunks and tossed with lime juice
  • ½ cup tomatillo salsa, optional

Instructions

  1. Make the Sofrito: In a food processor, pulse the carrots, onion and garlic until very finely chopped. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Add the tomatoes to the food processor and pulse until nearly smooth.
  2. In a deep, medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and toast until they pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the carrot mixture and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring every once in a while, until softened slightly and nearly dry, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are very soft, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and season with salt. (Jeanine's note: my carrots were pretty wet and soft at this point, so I only added 2 (of the 6) tablespoons olive oil, and I continued to cook it for about 30 minutes instead of 1½ hours).
  4. Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss the cheese with the peas, cilantro, and onion.
  5. Assemble the enchiladas: In a small skillet heat ¼ inch of the grapeseed oil. When the oil is warm, use tongs to cook the tortillas, one by one, until pliable, about 20 seconds for each. Transfer to a plate.
  6. When the tortillas are cool enough to handle, place a scant ¼ cup of the pea-cheese filling onto each tortilla and roll up. Arrange them on a platter or shallow baking dish. Spoon the sofrito on top, and sprinkle with the remaining filling, the pepitas and sunflower seeds, and the avocado, if using. Serve with salsa, if desired

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