Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

I found this recipe in my files, and apparently, I put it there back in 2006. It’s from Living magazine, and it’s similar to other tortilla and bean layered casseroles I’ve made. It’s a versatile dish in that you can easily substitute ingredients here and there, but it is important to keep the moisture content as intended so the casserole doesn’t become soggy and so the cut pieces will hold their shape. I wasn’t able to find this exact recipe on the web site, so I’ll list it below, but there is a similar dish in the Everyday Food cookbook. In that book, it’s called tortilla and black bean pie, and it's a little different from this one. For this version from the magazine, you make a salsa verde which is layered with roasted poblanos, toasted tortillas, black beans, spinach, and cheese. You could save some time by purchasing pre-made salsa, but I had some green tomatoes and chiles to use from my CSA. The suggested method in the recipe involves sauteing onion, garlic, and tomatillos before adding chiles, but I prefer to place all those things with green tomatoes on a baking sheet and brown them under the broiler. Once browned on all sides, everything is pureed in a food processor with lime juice and cilantro.

For the casserole, corn tortillas were cut in half, brushed with oil, and toasted in the oven. They’re removed before they become crunchy, but they do become sturdier. Spinach leaves were cooked and drained, onion was sauteed with chopped roasted poblanos, and the black beans were cooked with garlic. I used a spring-form pan, and the first layer was 12 halves of tortillas which were overlapped in the bottom of the pan. Next, the poblano and onion mixture was added followed by half of the black bean mixture. That was topped with sour cream, since I forgot to buy Mexican crema, and then some salsa was added. Shredded monterey jack cheese was added, and then the layering was repeated with spinach instead of poblanos. Last, the casserole was topped with the remaining tortilla halves, salsa, and cheese.

I was surprised at how easily the spring-form ring was removed, and how easily the casserole was cut. It’s a dry enough mixture that there’s no danger of the layers sliding apart as each piece is plated. Now that I’ve looked at the other casserole in the Everyday Food book, I see it includes corn and green onions. Not that the version I made seemed lacking at all, but those will be great additions when I make this again.

Tortilla Casserole
Living Magazine March 2006
4 fresh poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
18 six inch corn tortillas, halved
Vegetable oil
10 ounces baby spinach leaves
1 small white onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c sour cream or Mexican crema
2 1/4 c salsa verde
1 1/2 c shredded monterey jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush cut tortillas on both sides with vegetable oil and place on two large baking sheets overlapping as needed. Bake for six minutes and rotate pans after three minutes. Set aside.
-Wash spinach and drain. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook spinach briefly just until wilted. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a colander to drain. Heat two tablespoons oil in skillet, add onion and saute until translucent. Add chopped poblanos, cook until heated through, and transfer to a bowl. Heat another two tablespoons oil in skillet and add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds and add black beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook until heated through.
-Line bottom of a 10-inch spring-form pan with 12 overlapping tortilla halves. Add poblano mixture, top with half the bean mixture, add one half cup of sour cream, and pour 3/4 c salsa on top. Spread 1/2 c shredded cheese on salsa. Repeat layers a second time using spinach instead of poblanos. Top casserole with remaining tortilla halves, salsa, and shredded cheese.
-Place spring-form pan on a baking sheet and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes to one hour. Let stand for 15 minutes before removing spring-form ring and serving. Serve with additional salsa.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Cheese Flautas with Cilantro Pesto and Salsa Verde, and Black-eyed Pea Salad with Baby Greens

I’ve been reading Living magazine for years. Before I started subscribing, I was watching Martha’s tv show. The first apple pie I ever made was from her recipe. The first time I ever made chicken stock, I followed her instructions. Yes, I’ve been a long-time fan, but for some reason, I had never before made a 'What’s for Dinner' meal in its entirety. Do you know that article that appears every month? It’s always at the back of the magazine, and I usually have to flip there first just to see what’s for dinner this month. There are always four recipe cards that are perforated, and three cards make up the main part of the meal, and one card is dessert. The look of those removable, perforated recipe cards has been repeated many times by advertisers, but in 'What’s for Dinner,' the two pages on either side of the cards show more photos of the meal and a prep schedule. I almost always remove the cards and store them in a file unless it’s a rare meal that doesn’t interest me. So, I have dozens of these meal plans and have tried single recipes from them here and there, but not until last weekend had I actually prepared one of these complete meals. The meal I prepared is from the October issue, and as soon as I saw it, I knew I'd be making all four items. Three of those are shown here today, and I’ll post dessert soon.

The first dish was roasted pumpkin soup, and I found the cutest, little, bright orange pumpkin at the farmers’ market. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as bright in color on the inside, but it was still delicious. Pumpkin slices were roasted with onion wedges, a clove of garlic, and two shitake mushroom caps. Once roasted and cooled, the skin was removed from the pumpkin, and everything was pureed with some stock. The puree was then brought to a simmer as more stock was whisked into the mixture, and then it was kept warm while cheese flautas were prepared. For the flautas, a cilantro pesto was made from sauteed garlic and pepitas, cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil. The pesto was spread on corn tortillas and was topped with shredded monterey jack cheese. The tortillas were rolled up and then fried until golden. Earlier in the day, I made a roasted salsa verde to serve with the flautas. The third item on the menu was the black-eyed pea salad with baby greens. Black-eyed peas were tossed with a vinaigrette made from tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, red-wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and olive oil. The peas were then spooned over a platter lined with spinach and baby greens.

The pumpkin soup was not a sweet kind of soup at all, and too much sweetness is my usual complaint about pumpkin or squash soups. The onion, garlic, and those two mushrooms gave it good, savory flavor. The black-eyed pea salad was varied in taste and texture, and the peppery baby mustard greens matched nicely with the peas and vinaigrette. And, those cheese flautas with cilantro pesto? Those crispy, cheesy, rolled tortillas were, of course, a hit. Pulling the whole meal together was simple because the soup and salad could both be left aside without worry as the flautas were prepared. It was a well-planned meal, and every part of it was suited to the season.

Salsa Verde Salmon

The other night, I really needed to think of something quick and simple to prepare for dinner. Luckily for me, I remembered The Fast 50 from the February/March issue of Donna Hay Magazine. That was 50 grilling recipes in a row that were simple, straightforward, and as usual for Donna Hay, looked amazing. The salsa verde salmon skewers were perfect for a main course, and I decided to add some vegetables to make each one a complete meal on a stick. The only thinking ahead that’s really required here is to get a thick cut of salmon so that it can be chopped into cubes that will work well on a skewer. I added chunks of zucchini and parboiled, small yukon gold potatoes.

The salmon and zucchini required the same amount of grilling time, and since the potatoes got a head start on the stove, everything achieved doneness at the same time. For the salsa verde, the recommended ingredients were a cup of mint, one third cup of flat-leaf parsley and one third cup of chives, a tablespoon of rinsed capers, a minced clove of garlic, and two tablespoons of olive oil. That sounded like a lot of mint to me, and since my basil plants have been growing so well, I decided to use a little mint and mostly basil. The herbs were chopped and combined with the other ingredients, and the finished salsa was drizzled over the grilled salmon, zucchini, and potatoes.

It was a quick, fresh, flavorful meal lifted by the combination of herbs and the briny note of the capers. Such a simple sauce, but it brightened up and accented the grilled-in flavor nicely. This was another meal from Donna Hay that did not disappoint. And, there are 49 other quick, simple, grilled meals in that one article.