On Saturday Morning I caught an episode of Mexican Made Easy on Food Network. On the particular episode the host made this terrific looking bean and cheese quesadilla casserole. It is actually a two part recipe, and takes a little time, but once you make it, you can stretch it across several meals!
First you make this…
Mexican Bean Stew (“Frijoles De La Olla”)
Ingredients
* 3 cups dried pinto beans
* 4 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
* 1/4 large onion
* 2 bay leaves
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Mexican crema or sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped white onion, for serving
Directions
Combine the beans, garlic, onion, and bay leaves in a medium pot. Add enough water to reach about 1 1/2 inches over the beans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 2 hours. Add more water if the beans are absorbing too much liquid. The beans should be soupy when done, with plenty of liquid remaining. Season the beans with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the beans and cooking liquid into soup bowls and garnish with Mexican crema, cilantro and chopped white onions. Alternatively, the beans can be drained and use as a filling for soft tacos.
Then you make this…
Enfrijoladas
Ingredients
* 4 cups cooked pinto beans, (Frijoles De La Olla, recipe follows) drained
* 3 cups chicken broth
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 3/4 cup chopped onion
* 1 plum tomato, roughly chopped
* 1 medium serrano chile, seeded and minced
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 8 corn tortillas
* 2 cups shredded Manchego, Swiss or Monterey Jack cheese
* Mexican crema or regular sour cream, for drizzling
* 2 thin slices red onion, separated into rings
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the drained beans and chicken broth in a large bowl.
In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, tomato, chile, and garlic. Saute until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Rub the oregano, between palms of your hands and sprinkle over the beans. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Add the beans and broth to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool the beans for about 5 minutes before putting them in the blender. Carefully, pour the mixture into a blender and puree. Return the pureed mixture to the pan and gently reheat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.
Using tongs, pass the tortillas 1 by 1 through the refried bean sauce until they are somewhat softened and coated on both sides with the sauce. Set aside on a plate. Fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Fold in half and arrange them, overlapping, in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Top with an additional 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the bean sauce, just enough to cover the beans but allow the edges of the folded tortillas to show. Bake until cheese is melted about 10 to 15 minutes.
To serve, drizzle with Mexican sour cream lengthwise in a 2-inch thick strip down the center of the dish. Top with 8 overlapping red onion rings.
And you get this…
Yum!
(I mean, why are they fighting? Couldn’t they just as logically be eating a nice rabbit and some berries peacefully beside each other? Maybe they are arguing over who saw the fifty percent off hiking boots first.)
{J’s favorite has been I will Take a Nap!, A’s favorite is the Dinosaur Bones Encyclopedia, and I’m currently reading The Little Paris Bookstore and enjoying it so far}
