Con Queso de Cottage

Working full time and having three children, I often try to find fast ways to cook a meal while at the same helping with homework and getting the kids in the bath and the dishes clean, all before 6:30 p.m. One of our favorite dishes is Cottage Cheese Enchiladas and Rice With Onions.

First, I finely chop a brown onion and put 1/2 of it to fry in a small pot with a little oil. At the same time, I put 2 cups of water on to boil for the rice. When the water boils, I add 1 cup of rice, the other 1/2 of the onion, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stir and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, I add two 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce to the onion in the small pot and stir until it begins to boil. Then I stir in 1 cup of milk a little at a time to avoid curdling. Then I simmer it, covered, over a low flame. While it is simmering, I put about 1/2 inch of oil in a small frying pan. When it is hot enough, I fry one dozen corn tortillas, one at a time for 5 seconds each, just to get them soft. After I drain the tortillas, I fill them with cottage cheese and roll them directly on dinner plates. By the time I have filled all the tortillas, the enchilada sauce is done and I pour it directly over the enchiladas. Then I complete the meal by adding the finished rice.

This recipe feeds a family of five.

WENDY GOMEZ

Whittier