Thursday, May 27, 2010

JOHN CHUCKMAN ORIGINAL RECIPE: MEXICAN LASAGNE

Not an authentic dish at all, but very tasty

INGREDIENTS:

5 Large Tortillas (if you need to fit casserole pan, cut sides)

1 Large Onion - chopped

2 cans refried beans – Herdez from Mexico are my favorite

2 pounds ground beef and pork mixed

Frozen of fresh Corn kernels – several handfuls

Green Pepper – finely chopped – several handfuls

1 1/2 pounds Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese – grated

2 cans La Victoria Sauce (Hot) from Mexico – see bottom of recipe
for alternative with my Green Sauce

Red Spaghetti Sauce – leftover or bottled – about equal to half of
La Victoria Sauce

Green stuffed Olives – handful to decorate top

Soft Cream Cheese – Laughing Cow from Quebec is perfect – enough
to crumble over top with Olives

METHOD:

Saute ground Meat with chopped Onion.

Mix the two Sauces.

In the bottom of a large glass oven casserole pan, rub a little oil, then drizzle a little mixed Sauce. Place a Tortilla. Spread Re-fried Beans over tortilla like frosting. Sprinkle a good layer of sautéed ground meat mixture. Sprinkle some Corn and Green Pepper. Sprinkle with grated Cheese. Lightly coat with Sauce.

Repeat with more layers. Stop with a Tortilla on top.

Over the top Tortilla, spread remaining Sauce mix. Crumble soft Cream Cheese pieces in roughly even spacing. Spread a little remaining grated cheese. Sprinkle Olives with roughly even spacing.

Cover pan with foil top and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Great leftover and re-heated (cover).

NOTE ON ALTERNATIVE SAUCE VERSION:

My Green Pepper Sauce – used for Fish Enchiladas – is also perfect for this recipe. Skip adding Spaghetti Sauce in this case, although I can imagine a thin drizzle of Spaghetti Sauce followed by a thick drizzle of Green Pepper Sauce being very good too.

Saute two or three finely-diced cloves of garlic in oil. Use this garic-infused oil to make a smooth White Sauce, mixing flour into Milk and then into warm oil. Use about one-quarter Light Cream or Half-and-half with Milk. Add a Knorr Chicken bullion cube or, if you have it, some heavily-reduced Chicken Stock. Add a generous amount of a Green Hot Sauce based on Jalapeno peppers, amount depending on taste. I use Mama Africa’s Zulu Sauce (Jalapeno) from South Africa. Any such sauce will do.