Veggie Enchilada Pie
We snuck off to San Diego for a few days in honor of Andrew’s dad’s birthday. It can be summarized in this video that Andrew made. It was unseasonably hot, even for San Diego. 90 degrees is not what I expect in October. Unless I’m in Thailand. We balanced family time, visiting friends, and a trip to Tijuana to see the Xolos [soccer] and eat all the tacos. Other highlights of the trip–North Park Beer Co., Beerfish, Public Square Coffee, Heartsleeves Coffee, Monello, Filippi’s Pizza Grotto.
I finally used up the last of the dried chilies I had in the pantry from the chili I made back in February. Being able to use them up appeased the side of my brain that doesn’t like clutter. It was so refreshing to get that bag out of there. It also allowed me to have some squash. I hardly ate any this summer. I don’t know how that happened. I followed the recipe nearly perfectly, even the corn! I know, I’m shocked too. I did lower the amount of cheese. Once I started grating a brick of Monterey jack and only got 3/4 of the way through the brick, I balked at the pile. In my head, I was thinking back to the time I was in charge of putting together the toppings on the homemade pizza when I was still living at home, and I got a little heavy handed with the cheese. We are a cheese-loving family, so for them to notice says a lot. So yeah, the moral of the story is I used less cheese and wasn’t that bummed about it. It was still absolutely delicious, filling, and the right amount of spicy thanks to the jalapenos. I am the laziest and don’t bother seeding them. It’s a level of heat I’m willing to accept.
Inspiration: Not Without Salt
Ingredients
- 3 dried ancho chilies
- 1 cup boiling water
- 28oz can of whole tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped [thanks, food processor]
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 jalapenos, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1lb zucchini, cut into 1/4″ pieces
- 1 1/2 cups corn kernels [I used frozen corn]
- 15oz can of black beans, drained
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, + more for garnish
- 12 6″ corn tortillas
- 3/4lb Monterey jack cheese, grated
- salt and pepper
In a large, deep skillet, toast the chilies over medium-high heat for about two minutes. Turn them often so all sides are toasted. Remove from heat, and when they’re cool, cut off their stem and shake out the seeds. I had to slice the open to do this. Transfer the chilies to a blender or large cup and cover them with the boiling water. Let stand until they’re softened. Add the tomatoes and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. I found I needed a fair amount of salt.
In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook them for about five minutes. Stir often. They’ll be soft and beginning to get translucent. Add the curry powder and stir until thoroughly mixed in with the onions. Add the zucchini and cook for about five minutes, stirring often. Add the corn and beans and stir. Mash the beans slightly either with the back of your spoon or a masher. Stir in the lime juice and the 1/2 cup of the cilantro.
Preheat the oven to 35° and grease a 9 x 13″ baking dish. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan, about 1/2 cup. Arrange four of the tortillas in the baking dish, tearing them in half as necessary to create an even layer. Spoon half of the filling over the tortillas and of with one-third of the cheese. Top the cheese with another layer of four tortillas, half of the remaining sauce, the rest of the filling, and another third of the cheese. Layer the last four tortillas followed by the remaining sauce and cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the edges are starting to brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and then serve.