Mexican Poblano Spinach And Black Bean Lasagne With Goat Cheese Recipes

MEXICAN POBLANO, SPINACH, AND BLACK BEAN "LASAGNE" WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Prepare chiles:
• Lay 4 chiles on their sides on racks of gas burners and turn flames on high. Roast chiles, turning with tongs, until skins are blackened and chiles are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. (Or broil all 12 chiles on rack of a broiler pan about 2 inches from heat, turning, until skins are blackened, 8 to 10 minutes.) Transfer immediately to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Roast remaining 8 chiles in same manner, then let stand 20 minutes.
• When cool enough to handle, peel chiles, then open flat and discard seeds and stems, wiping with paper towels or dunking in a bowl of water briefly, if necessary, to remove seeds. If chiles taste very spicy, cut out ribs with scissors to make them milder.
• Make tomato sauce:
• Purée tomatoes with juice, garlic, cilantro, sugar, and salt in a blender. Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then add sauce (be careful of splattering) and simmer, stirring, until thickened and reduced to about 1 cup, about 6 minutes.
• Make goat cheese sauce:
• Gently simmer cream, with epazote if using, in a small heavy saucepan, covered, 10 minutes. If using epazote, pour cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on and discarding epazote. Return cream to pan. Whisk in goat cheese and salt and heat over low heat, whisking until smooth.
• Make spinach filling:
• Blanch spinach in batches in a large pot of boiling salted water 1 minute, transferring with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of cold water to cool. Drain in a colander, pressing on spinach with back of a spoon to remove excess water, then coarsely chop.
• Heat oil in cleaned nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté spinach and raisins, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in salt and transfer filling to a plate.
• Fry tortillas and assemble dish:
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Heat oil in cleaned nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then fry tortillas 2 halves at a time, turning over once, until just crisp, about 1 minute total. Transfer tortillas to paper towels to drain.
• Spread 1/4 cup tomato sauce over bottom of casserole dish. Arrange half of tortillas on top, then spread another 1/4 cup tomato sauce on top and sprinkle evenly with black beans. Arrange 4 poblanos flat over black beans to cover, then spread half of spinach filling evenly over chiles and drizzle with 1/4 cup goat cheese sauce. Make another layer with 4 chiles, remaining spinach filling, and another 1/4 cup of goat cheese sauce, then cover with remaining 4 chiles.
• Cover chiles with remaining tomato sauce, spreading evenly, then top with remaining tortillas. Cover tortillas with remaining goat cheese sauce, spreading evenly.
• Bake lasagne, covered with foil, in middle of oven until bubbling and heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat broiler. Remove foil and broil about 3 inches from heat until top is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.
• Available at Latino markets and Kitchen/Market (888-468-4433)

MEXICAN BLACK BEAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the jalapeños, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the beans, corn, and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
• Spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of an 8-inch square or 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Top with 3 tortillas, tearing them to fit as necessary. Spread a third of the remaining enchilada sauce over the top (about 1/2 cup). Top with a third of the bean mixture and 1/2 cup cheese; repeat twice.
• Bake until the lasagna is heated through and the top is beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, and hot sauce, if desired.

MEXICAN LASAGNA WITH BLACK BEANS AND CORN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 F; Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking oil spray; Set aside.
• Stack the tortillas on a cutting board, and slice through them lengthwise into 3 strips each (The strips will not be uniform because of their circular shape; This is OK) Set aside.
• Pour the corn and black beans into a colander, and rinse with warm tap water to begin defrosting the corn and rinse the beans; Set aside to drain.
• In a small bowl, stir together the tomatoes with their juice, the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and sugar; Spoon about half of the sauce into the bottom of the dish; Cover the sauce with 5 of the tortilla strips (it's fine if they overlap somewhat).
• Break the egg into a medium-size mixing bowl, and beat with a whisk or fork until foamy; Add the sour cream and 1 cup of the cheese; Stir to mix well; Spoon half of the sour cream mixture evenly over the tortilla layer and spread it out with the back of a spoon; Scatter half of the corn and black beans over the sour cream mixture.
• Place 5 more tortilla strips evenly over the corn and black bean layer; Top with the remaining sour cream mixture, and the remaining black beans and corn; Place the remaining tortilla strips over the dish; Pour the remaining tomato sauce mixture over the tortillas, and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon to moisten all of the tortilla strips.
• Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
• While the dish bakes, rinse and trim the green onions; Slice the green onions thinly, using all of the whites and enough of the tender green tops to make 1/2 cup; Set aside.
• If using the black olives, drain them well, and set aside.
• After baking lasagna, scatter the green onions and olives, if using, evenly over the dish; Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, for 5 more minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven, and scatter the remaining cup of Mexican cheese evenly over the dish.
• Return the dish, uncovered, to the oven, and bake until the cheese melts, about 3 minutes.
• Remove the lasagna from the oven, and let it stand 10 minutes; Slice into squares and serve.