Whole Enchilada Fiesta

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The city of Las Cruces, New Mexico celebrates its heritage every year with the Whole Enchilada Fiesta in late September with three days of live entertainment; vendor food, crafts and entertainment; and festivities. Typically 80,000 attend the fiesta over the weekend, which makes it New Mexico's 3rd largest tourist event. Among the activities are a parade, pet parade, motorcycle and car show, fun run, boxing, carnival and cooking contest. Also associated with the fiesta is the Whole Enchilada Fiesta Classic Soccer Tournament that is held on one of the weekends either prior or after the fiesta. But the most well-known activity during the weekend is the making of the enchilada on Sunday.

[edit] Making the Enchilada

Each year, a highlight of the fiesta is the making of a huge enchilada. Roberto Estrada, owner of a local restaurant, cooks an enchilada that is similar in size to the one enshrined in Guinness Book of World Records as The World's Largest Enchilada, which measured just over 30 feet in diameter. Making the enchilada requires special cooking equipment. Estrada designed and made a tortilla press, a tortilla carrying plate, a cooking vat and a serving plate. It takes approximately two and a half hours, from start to finish, to make the enchilada.

Among the ingredients needed to make the enchilada are:

100 lb. of corn (for the tortillas)
50 gallons of vegetable oil (for cooking the tortillas)
12 lb. of grated cheese
10 lb. of chopped onions

[edit] Assembly of the Enchilada

The carrying tray is placed on the tortilla press and 250 lb. of the masa dough is added to the press. The dough is then pressed to make the tortilla. A tow truck lift is used to lower the top plate. Clamps are used around the edges of the press to squeeze the dough to as thin as possible.
The tortilla is carried by about 14 men to the cooking vat that contains 550 °F vegetable oil. The tortilla is cooked until done, which usually takes about 10-15 minutes. The tortilla is removed from the vat and drained of any excess oil.
The tortilla is carried to the serving plate. Red chile sauce is ladled on top of the tortilla. Cheese and chopped onions are spread on top of the tortilla.
Two more tortillas are done in the same manner on top of the first one.
The enchilada is then cut into small portions and served to everyone in attendance.