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

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Mexican Poblano, Spinach, and Black Bean

Categories     Bean     Cheese     Leafy Green     Pepper     Tomato     Fry     Sauté     Vegetarian     Goat Cheese     Spinach     Fall     Winter     Gourmet

Yield Makes 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 26

For chiles
12 medium to large fresh poblano chiles (2 1/4 lb)
For tomato sauce
1 (14- to 16-oz) can whole tomatoes including juice
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
For goat cheese sauce
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons dried epazote* (optional)
8 oz soft mild goat cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
For spinach filling
4 (3/4-lb) bunches spinach, coarse stems discarded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
To assemble dish
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, halved
1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained if canned
Garnish: toasted pine nuts
Special Equipment
a 2- to 2 1/2-quart shallow flameproof casserole dish (about 2 inches deep; not glass)

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)

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