Frida Kahlo’s enchiladas

Recipe

Article

No. 17 • March 2020

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) became legendary for her work, her striking appearance, and the Mexican fiestas she hosted in her blue house.

text: Sarah Knigge

Fig 1. Frida Kahlo, The bride who becomes frightened when she sees life opened, 1943

‘I’d rather sit on the floor of the Toluca market selling tortillas than have anything to do with those ‘artistic bitches’ from Paris.’ In 1939, Frida Kahlo had travelled to the French capital for an exhibition that the artist André Breton had promised her. She did not like the city or its artists. Moreover, only a few of her works could be displayed at the exhibition, as most of them were “too ‘shocking’ for the audience!!,” she wrote in a letter. On the other hand, Breton was captivated by Kahlo’s Mexico – the ultimate haven for a surrealist like him. In 1938, he and his wife, painter Jacqueline Lamba, visited Frida Kahlo and her lover, Diego Rivera.

Frida Kahlo met haar hond Señor Xolotl in de tuin van Casa Azul, 1948 © Gisèle Freund

Fig 2. Frida Kahlo and her dog Señor Xolotl in the garden of Casa Azul, 1948 | © Gisèle Freund

Breton and Lamba were impressed, not only by Kahlo’s work but also by her striking appearance and iconic blue house, where she often organised fiestas and served tamales, enchiladas, and mole. These dishes were recipes Kahlo had learned from Guadalupe Marin, Rivera’s former wife.

However, Kahlo preferred decorating her house over cooking. Her Casa Azul (Blue House) was a place where she spent much of her time, as she was often bedridden due to chronic illness and a severe car accident. Here, she surrounded herself with a collection of folk curiosities, dolls and toys, indigenous plants that she captured in her still lifes, and animals: dogs, monkeys, and birds. These animals became the main figures in Kahlo’s self-portraits.

Fig 3. Frida Kahlo, Casa Azul, Mexico

ENCHILADAS TAPATÍAS

24 small tortillas
Oil
8-10 ancho chillies
500 ml boiling water
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt
1.5 chicken breasts, cooked
250 ml sour cream
250 g añejo cheese or Parmesan cheese, crumbled

Start by making the sauce. Soak the chilies in boiling water for 10 minutes, then puree them and drain. Sauté the onion and garlic in hot oil until they become translucent. Add the chili puree and some salt to taste. Let this simmer for another 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

Shred the chicken with a fork. Fry the tortillas briefly in hot oil. Then dip them in the sauce, fill them with chicken, and roll them up. Place all the filled tortillas in a dish and pour the remaining sauce over them. Top with sour cream and crumbled cheese.

*Wine suggestion: 2018 Abras Torrontes, Altocedro, an Argentine wine with a bold flavor that pairs well with the spicy enchiladas. With notes of jasmine, orange blossom, lime, peach, and muscat grape.

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