Today it has been cold and rainy all day, so of course Mexican food sounds perfect. Well, let me tell you Mexican food is not that easy when you live in the UK. We were all so excited when we first discovered that ASDA (a large grocery store that is owned by WalMart) carries a whole section of Old El Paso items. This Old El Paso is not the same as our Old El Paso. Who knew that they would change their product even though it looks the same. It has not taken us long to get smart and discover that things are not always what they seem over here.
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| This is US OEP Enchilada Sauce - notice it is in a can not a bottle. |
For instance, we bought the Old El Paso Enchilada sauce today, so that we could make beef enchiladas for dinner. I should have been wary when the directions on the bottle seemed really different, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I have made this so many times, I knew I could wing it. When I opened the bottle though, it just looked a little different (of course). I read the ingredients and saw that there was milk in the enchilada sauce!!! What? Who puts milk in enchilada sauce? Oh, wait that is right, the English put milk in everything. I am not joking about that - there is milk or cream in and on everything over here. I am the first to admit that the dairy in this country is to die for, but seriously, let's leave it out of the enchilada sauce.
This wasn't the first time we have run into this problem. The first week we lived here (when we were living on frozen food), we ate a frozen lasagna, and it was the first lasagna in my life that I just couldn't eat. It had some sort of cream (not cheese) sauce in it. I thought it was just a bad cheap lasagna, but that is the way they actually eat it here - I have seen the jars of cream sauce next to the spaghetti sauce. As an aside, I think it is probably Bechamel sauce, and I am very sorry if that is how you make your lasagna and now you are offended. I personally do not like it, and I am pretty sure the Italians would agree. You are really messing up a good tomato sauce.
I will definitely have to make my lasagnas from scratch in the future. Come to think of it, I am going to have to be making a lot of things from scratch. If any of my Texas friends know how to actually make enchilada sauce, can you please e-mail me the recipe. Also, if you have the recipe for Velveeta, can you send that too? How in the world am I going to make chicken spaghetti and queso without it?
Speaking of queso, Keith bought this "cheese sauce" that looked just like queso, and we were so excited about eating it with our enchiladas tonight. When he went to heat it up in the microwave (and actually read the directions), he realized it was to be served cold. That is because it was made with mayonnaise. See what I mean? Hilarious!
Yuck! I think I actually threw up a little bit when reading this post. The UK is lovely, but they leave quite a bit to be desired in terms of cuisine!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I do make my lasagna with a Bechamel base BUT you mix red sauce into the base to make it pink and yummy and delicious. And it is a real Italian recipe (I think Giada from Food TV is a real Italian anyway). But, no I am not offended. : )
I will send you my recipe for EL FENIX enchiladas. I do it without meat but you could easily add it in. I don't think I would be able to survive without proper cheese and Mexican food!!!
ReplyDelete-Amy
Okay.....I feel your pain. We have truly been there. Well, not There, but you know in that situation. Here is my enchilada/taco sauce recipe:
ReplyDeleteSaute in heavy saucepan:
2 Tbsp. oil
1 med. onion, minced
When onion is just yellow, not brown add:
3 1/2 cups tomato puree or sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced or mashed
1-2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
Cover and simmer at least 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Makes about 3 cups.
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Katie