Summer Vegetable Enchiladas with Tomatillo-Poblano Salsa
This vegetarian main is packed full of flavor!
Prep Time: 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 1 hourhour
Total: 1 hourhour20 minutesminutes
Servings: 6servings (makes 12 enchiladas).
Ingredients
Tomatillo-Poblano Salsa (Makes about 3 cups)
2poblano chiles
1poundtomatillos, husked(about 10 medium)
1/4large yellow onion, chopped
1bunch cilantro, washed, stems removed, a few leaves reserved for garnish
juice of 1 lime
3/4teaspoonsalt
Summer Vegetable Enchiladas
1/2a large, yellow onion, diced
1tablespoonolive oil
3/4poundsummer squash, diced
1/2teaspoonsalt
3red, orange or yellow bell peppers, roasted (see above), peeled, seeded and chopped
kernels from 2 ears of corn
1bunch spinach, washed
6ouncesjack cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups packed)
4ouncesfresh chevre, crumbled
12six-inch corn tortillas
1/4cupvegetable oil (such as sunflower)
Pinto Beans with Epazote
1 1/2cupdried pintos
1/4yellow onion
1carrot, in large chunks
1bay leaf
1/4teaspoondried epazote
1/4teaspooncumin seed
1 1/2teaspoonssalt
Instructions
Tomatillo-Poblano Salsa
Roast the poblanos either over an open flame or under the broiler (you can roast the bells peppers for the filling at the same time), turning occasionally until the skins are blackened and blistered all over, 5-10 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle, then, wearing gloves if your skin is sensitive to capsicum, peel off the skins. Slice the peppers in half and remove the veins and seeds. Chop the flesh coarsely.
Place the tomatillos in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 - 10 minutes, until the tomatillos turn a drab green. Drain and let cool slightly.
Combine the tomatillos in a food processor or blender with the poblanos (if the peppers are very spicy, you may not want to add all of them), onion, cilantro leaves, lime juice and salt. Puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, lime juice, or chile to taste. Set aside. The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Summer Vegetable Enchiladas
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft and golden, 10 minutes. Add the squash and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook another 10 minutes until soft and beginning to brown. Add the corn kernels and the peppers, and cook for three more minutes. Taste for salt, then tip the mixture into a large bowl. Wilt the spinach in the same skillet over medium heat, 2 minutes or so. Let cool slightly, then press out any excess water and chop. Add to the veggies in the bowl. When the veggie mixture has cooled to lukewarm, add 1 cup of the jack cheese and all of the chevre. Mix gently to combine.
Line a baking sheet with 2 layers of paper towels. In a clean skillet, heat a tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add a tortilla and fry for a few seconds on each side, shake off the excess oil, and lay on the towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, adding oil as necessary, until all are fried. (Frying the tortillas makes them pliable and creates a barrier for the sauce, preventing the enchiladas from falling apart immediately.)
Preheat the oven to 375ยบ with a rack in the center. Place 1/3-1/2 cup of the filling on the bottom third of a tortilla. Roll up tightly. Place seam-side down in the bottom of an ungreased 9x13" lasagna pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Slather 2 cups of the salsa over the enchiladas.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of jack cheese over the top and bake for another 5 minutes to melt.
Let cool 5 - 10 minutes before serving with the extra salsa and whatever other accompaniments you like. The enchiladas are best served straight from the oven, but they can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to several days and reheated before serving; they might fall apart a little, but they will still be tasty.
Pinto Beans with Epazote
Sort the beans for any pebbles, then place in a bowl and cover with 2 inches of cold water and allow to soak for 2 to (preferably) 8 hours or overnight. Drain. Place in a pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Add the onion, carrot, bay leaf, epazote and cumin seed. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partially covered, until mostly tender, adding more water if necessary. This can take anywhere from 1-2 hours. Add the salt and continue to cook until completely tender (I like to err on the side of overcooking, since undercooked beans are absolutely repulsive, akin to undercooked rice or the like. Bleh.) Pull out the carrot and onion pieces and the bay leaf. Let the beans cool in their liquid. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
Serve these enchiladas, 2 per person, with a side of pinto beans (recipe below), slivered lettuce or cabbage, avocado, creme fraiche or sour cream, diced or cherry tomatoes, extra salsa and a garnish of cilantro.There are many theories surrounding the reduction of beans' gaseous qualities. To be safe, I follow all the rules: soaking the beans before cooking, cooking them with bay leaves and cumin, carrot and onion to absorb the gas-making properties (don't know if this is true or not,) keeping the beans only partially covered while cooking to allow gassy things to escape (ditto) and adding the salt towards the end of the cooking to prevent the beans from getting tough. In the end, though, my own theory is that simply cooking the beans thoroughly will prevent any unpleasantries, so I make sure they beans are super soft, almost to the falling-apart stage, when I turn off the heat.Nutritional values are based on one of six servings.