A hearty, flavorful main dish like these enchiladas is just right for a Super Bowl party or another informal gathering. The host can enjoy the game, too, because this recipe works just fine made hours ahead, even as long as the day before.

        The heating process obviously requires more time when the food is cold. To make sure the cheese topping doesn't bake too long, it is a good idea to let the enchiladas heat through before sprinkling over the cheese. When the cheese is melted, the dish should be hot and bubbly and ready to serve.

        Your tomato sauce will be at its best if you use a pure chile powder. I prefer chipotle powder, which is ground up, dried and smoked jalapeno. It is rather spicy, so you may want to use less than 1/4 cup if you prefer a milder flavor. An alternative is to use a milder chile powder such as ancho, made from the dried poblano chile. The first step in the sauce recipe that calls for cooking the chile powder and cumin with the onion and garlic is important for developing the flavor of the two spices and makes for a more flavorful finished sauce.

        For a leaner meat filling, I like to purchase lean beef such as round steak. Cut it into cubes and chill well before chopping finely in a food processor. Use well trimmed pork loin for the ground pork and follow the same procedure. This Mexican-flavored casserole can be served with tomato salsa and sour cream. My favorite side dish is guacamole served on top of finely shredded crisp lettuce.
        Contact Marilyn Harris by mail: c/o Cincinnati Enquirer; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: marilyn@55krc.com.

Easy Beef and Pork Enchiladas

       1 recipe Easy Enchilada Sauce (see recipe below)
       1 recipe Beef and Pork Filling (see recipe below)
        1/2 cup vegetable oil
       16 corn tortillas
       4 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese (about 1 pound)

        Heat oil to 350 degrees in a small skillet. Using tongs, place the tortillas, one at a time, for just a few seconds into the hot oil. (They should be very soft.) Immediately dip the hot, softened tortilla into the warm Enchilada Sauce, just coating the surface. Place flat on a tray for filling.

        Fill the center of the tortilla with about 3 tablespoons of the Beef and Pork Filling. Add 1 tablespoon of the shredded cheese. Roll and place, seam side down, in a shallow baking dish. Spoon over enough Enchilada Sauce to cover.

        Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake in a 375-degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Makes 8 servings.

Easy Enchilada Sauce

       3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
       1 1/2 cups chopped onion
        1/4 cup pure chile powder
       2 teaspoons cumin
       3 large cloves garlic, minced
       2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
       1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
       1 10-ounce can chopped tomatoes with green chiles (such as the Ro-tel brand)
        1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
       1 teaspoon sugar
       1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

        Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Add the onion, chile powder, cumin, and garlic and cook, stirring, 5 to 6 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the jalapenos and cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

        For chunky sauce, serve as is. For smooth sauce, puree in the food processor. Makes about 5 cups.

Beef and Pork Enchilada Filling

       2 tablespoons vegetable oil
        3/4 pound lean ground beef
        3/4 pound lean ground pork
       1 cup chopped onion
        2/3 cup Easy Enchilada Sauce
       Salt and hot sauce, to taste

        Heat the oil in a heavy medium skillet. Add beef, pork and onions and cook, stirring, until meats are cooked. Add the sauce and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Season to taste. Makes enough filling for 8 enchiladas.

Required Reading

        Blue Plate Specials and Blue Ribbon Chefs (Lebhar-Friedman Books; $24.95) is the latest selection of Jane and Michael Stern's favorite American roadside restaurants. In this one, they feature each restaurant and its cooks in longer essays that read like love letters to the traditional cooks they've come to admire over the years. They always make me want to hit the road. Unfortunately, some of these cafes and restaurants have gone out of business. But this book also includes recipes. You can try to re-create stewed tomatoes from Hap Towne's in Nashville, now closed, or the rhubarb cream pie from Carol's Calico Kitchen in Lexington, Minn. (closed after a fire) or the Frito Pie from the defunct Woolworth's lunch counter in Santa Fe, N.M.

Good Dishes

        Most seafood pasta dishes are too rich too creamy, and not seafoody enough. But the seafood fettuccine at Rookwood Pottery Bistro in Mount Adams is wonderful, coated with real cream and infused with the flavors of tarragon, fresh salmon, shrimp and mussels. ($14.50)

We Tried It

        Frito-Lay has introduced Go Snacks, versions of some of its most popular snacks in new “ergonomic” packaging. Cheetos, Doritos and Fritos, in several flavors, come in hourglass-shaped plastic canisters with pull-off lids that fit into car drink holders and the outside pocket of bags and backpacks. Now you can take your high-calorie, low-nutrition snacks with you wherever you go!

        The snacks, scheduled to hit Greater Cincinnati stores this week, have been miniaturized. The Doritos arepuffy three-dimensional snacks that don't taste much like real Doritos (though it's the same ranch flavor), the Fritos are shaped in rings and the Cheetos are tiny balls.

        Suggested retail price: $1.29. The calorie count ranges from 270 for the Doritos to 480 for the Fritos. (That's per container, which vary in size from 2 ounces to 2ò ounces.) As a point of comparison, a 2í-ounce bag of comparable snacks is 65 cents in the office vending machine.

Pro's pointers

        Paper-thin phyllo dough is a useful, versatile way to make many kinds of pastries, both sweet and savory. But it can be frustrating to work with. For the best results:

        • Thaw frozen phyllo in its original wrapper overnight in the refrigerator. Let stand unopened at room temperature for two hours before using.

        • To keep it pliable, remove from its packaging just before using. Unroll on a dry work surface, and work with one sheet of a dough at a time. It's important to keep the rest covered with plastic wrap or a damp cotton towel. Lightly brush each sheet with melted butter. You can use as little as 1 teaspoon per layer.

        • The fragile sheets of phyllo dough can tear easily, but are easily repaired. Just layer an extra scrap over the tear and the pastry will bake up beautifully.

        • When ready to cook frozen phyllo pastries, put them directly in a hot oven so they don't get soggy.

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