Green enchiladas

So, we got the oven fixed. And by "fixed" I mean that a man came over, looked in the oven with his iphone light, and pronounced it "dirty." He then proceeded to mansplain how an oven works like I don't have A FUCKING COOKING BLOG. And then charged us $119. So far, homeownership is fairly humiliating.

Anyway, now that we have an oven again, let's talk about enchiladas, shall we? I love them because they're a throw-anything-in-as-filling-and-bake-until-bubbly kind of dish and with cooler weather coming, who doesn't look forward to these dinners again? However, I haven't had many good jarred sauces, so I decided to make my own and now I can never go back. Which makes this dish a bit more complicated and more appropriate for, say, a lazy rainy weekend than a frantic school night.

A couple of notes about this recipe: I used zucchini, turkey, and pinto beans, but feel free to sub any other veggies, beans, and proteins. You will have extra filling, but I felt it was silly to use less than the whole pound of turkey, which is the only amount sold by our farmer's market turkey stand. Eat it with an egg for breakfast and you won't mind having leftovers at all. Do not, however, change the cheese. This recipe hinges on the cheese. If you can't find cojita (though look as hard as you can because its GOOD), you can use a crumbly white cheese like ricotta salata or queso blanco. You'll also have extra sauce. I recommend doubling the sauce recipe because the casserole calls for just a bit more than half of the original recipe. Doubling means you'll have enough for 2 more large casseroles. Freeze it in two parts and you can cut down on the prep time for this dish significantly.

I adapted the sauce recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and it's darn near perfect. I added another 1/2 cup of green chilis because I thought the green chili taste could have been slightly stronger. Other than that, this sauce is dynamite.

For the sauce:
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups canned, roasted poblano or other green chiles
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent too much browning.

Add the flour and stir until it has coated the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently for 3 more minutes to take away the raw taste of flour.

Add the cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Add the green chilis and cook for one minute.

Slowly whisk in the broth and stir to break up any clumps. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the sauce is sufficiently thickened. It should coat the back of a spoon while still being a little runny. If too thick, add more broth. If too thin, continue cooking until the sauce tightens some more.

For the filling:
2 Tbsp oil
½ large onion
1 lb ground turkey
2 small or 1 large zucchini, chopped (about 1.5-2 cups)
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
½ tsp mild chili powder
¾ tsp cumin (heaping ½ tsp will do if you don’t want to be that precise)
½ tsp salt

For the casserole:
12-15 Corn tortillas
1.5-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (about 3-4 oz)
1 cup cotija cheese (about 3 oz)
1.5-1.75 cups green enchilada sauce (about half of the recipe, plus a few more Tbsps)

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a brownie or casserole dish and set aside.

Lay out a tortilla and scoop 1-2 small spoonfuls onto the middle of one tortilla. Sprinkle with a tbsp of cojita cheese and fold the ends to overlap in the middle. Carefully flip the bundle over and place into your casserole dish with the folded-side down. Repeat until the dish is full, squeezing as many tortillas as you can into the nooks and crannies.

Cover the folded tortillas with a thick layer of green enchilada sauce and spread into the corners. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or the cheese starts to look lightly golden and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4-6 dinner servings, depending on how hungry you are and your sides.