Enchiladas Verdes

Today's meal was another one of those why did I bother trying to cook days where everything wanted to go wrong.  I was making Enchiladas Verdes from the slow cooker book I've been using this week.  They called for a medium onion.  I didn't have one - I always have onions - Luckily I found a purple onion in the fridge with only a small chunk out of it.  Good.

Then it called for an Anaheim chili.  When it is mostly diced I decide to taste the thing to see if it is going to be too spicy.  Sure enough - super spicy.  I thought since it was a bit bigger that it would be less spicy, closer to a poblano, but I looked it up and they can be anywhere from mild to spicy, and it appears that Hatch chilies are this type and I know they are very spicy, but it was also mentioned that diced green chilies are this type, so I added a can of those instead - time wasted, but problem solved.  Good.
Then I needed 3 cups of tomatillo salsa - I had a container in the fridge, and one in the Pantry - neither marked hot or mild.  I opened the one in the fridge - had a bit of spice, but not too bad.  Good.  There was only about 1 cup and a half in that container, so I opened the one in the pantry - way too spicy.  So, I subbed out a can of green enchilada sauce for the remaining tomatillo salsa (should have just made some I guess.)  Soo, I finally get my sauce put together, and I don't have enough sour cream because I used it in the lemon pasta that I made yesterday that wasn't on the menu.  I still had a cup, so I figured it was OK.  I also didn't manage to buy the cilantro it called for.  I had some dried, but it isn't the same.
The actual dish went together relatively easy - just layers in the crock pot, but when it came out, it looked like mush.  The tortillas didn't hold any shape at all - none.  (I can't decide if I dare put a picture of how it actually looked on the plate.  I took one in the crock pot because at least then the pot was holding it in shape and the melted cheese didn't look bad.  The flavor was ok, but still a bit spicy for most of the families' taste.
Here is how I ended up making it.
Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/2 large red onion
• 1 small can mild green chilies
• 1 Tablespoon dried cilantro (but I'd suggest using 4 Tablespoons fresh -I didn't measure, I just sprinkled, but not the 2 Tablespoons called for if fresh.)
• 1 cup Tomatillo salsa
• 1 can (15 oz or so-maybe 20 about 2 cups) green enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (sub out vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack
• 2 cups crumbled queso fresco
• 2 cups sour cream (I only used 1 - surely 1 more would have helped mild out the flavor.)
• 12 6 inch corn tortillas

Directions

1. Saute onions and chilies in butter in a medium saucepan until softened and fragrant. (3-5 min.)  Add 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, salsa, enchilada sauce, and broth.  Simmer for 30 min until sauce is reduced and thickened a bit.  Remove from heat and sed aside to cool
2. Mix Monterey Jack and Cheddar in a bowl.  Mix queso fresco, sour cream and 2 more Tablespoons fresh cilantro until well combined.
3. Spray a 5-7 quart slow cooker with cooking spray.  Spoon a thin layer of sauce on bottom of the slow cooker.  Layer 1/3 of the tortillas evenly on top of the sauce.  Spread 1/2 of the queso fresco mix over the tortillas and top with 1/3 of the Cheddar/Jack.  Repeat layering the tortillas, sauce, queso fresco, and cheddar/jack.  Finish layering remaining tortillas, sauce, and Cheddar/Jack.  cover and cook on low 3-4 hours until the casserole is cooked through and the cheese is bubbling.  Remove cover and cook for additional 30-45 minutes (I didn't do this - I guess that would have firmed it up a bit)