Monday, January 05, 2009

squash and black bean enchilada casserole

This one was a real hit.

Sauce:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion
6 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp masa harina, flour or cornstarch
2 tbsp ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 ground coriander
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp minced oregano
4 cups veggie stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 green pepper or jalapeno

Enchiladas:
1 large butternut squash, baked
1 large can of black beans
few spoons of adobo sauce
salt and pepper
4 cups of cheese (mild cheddar, marble, monterey jack or a combo)
1 1/2 packages of tortillas (preferably corn)

Preheat oven to 350. First make the sauce. Fry onions, green pepper or chili, and garlic until slightly golden, add spices and masa. fry until fragrant. Add all the other ingredients and let simmer for about 20 minutes while you're preparing the other stuff.

Mix the baked squash with the beans and seasoning, you might want to squeeze excess water out of the squash. Brown the tortillas in a toaster oven until slightly toasted. Grate the cheese. Cut the tortillas in half.

In a large lasagna pan, put a little sauce on the bottom. Put one good layer of tortillas on top. Layer with squash and bean layer, 1/4 cheese, then more sauce. Repeat this one more time, then add one last layer of tortillas, with the rest of the cheese and the rest of the sauce. Bake for about 30 minutes. I would try adding olives or fresh coriander too.