Lada

A friend of my requested this recipe from me a few weeks ago to prepare for a dinner party at her apartment. It reminded me how much I love the meal so I made it again last night for my hungry boyfriend and his father, tired after a day of building a tool and garden shed in our backyard. I originally started making this recipe years ago when I was an undergrad living in Foley House - a cooking cooperative at Dartmouth College. There, I lived in a house of 10 people who took turns cooking nightly meals. I learned two things living and cooking at foley: how to cook for a large group (I still have difficulty cooking for two), and how to cook for vegetarians. It was really this experience that has forever influenced my almost vegetarianism (and having a non meat eating partner). Foley House also introduced me to the Moosewood Cookbook series by Mollie Katzen. This is a wonderful and so far unmatched resource for vegetarian recipes named for a restaurant to which I have never been in upstate New York. This recipe is in her Enchanted Broccoli Forest Cookbook , and I have modified it slightly. You can serve this at any party without anyone complaining about the lack of meat. There are a few variations I have employed, such adding Soyrizo or some other meat substitute, adding black beans, or cooking as a casserole instead of actually rolling them. I alternate between using traditional corn tortillas or flour, which seem to be a crowd-pleaser. There has been great debate regarding the flour/corn dilemma; I will throw my hat in with corn, and let you, the chef, decide what you prefer.

Enchiladas de Foley

1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 large red bell pepper

2 tsp salt

8 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp cumin

2 tbsp chili powder (if desired)

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Let cool and run through a food processor or a blender to make smooth.

Filing

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium red, yellow or orange bell peppers, diced

2 medium zucchini, diced

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes

1-1/2 cups grated pepper jack cheese + 1/2 cup for top


16 corn tortillas (10-12 flour if you prefer)

Heat oil in a deep skillet. cook onions and garlic over medium high heat 8 minutes, or until soft. Add bell pepper, zucchini and spices and cook another 8-10 minutes until zucchini is just soft. Remove from heat and stir in 1 1-2 cup cheese. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Assembly

If using corn tortillas you will need to soften them. There are many ways to soften (frying, soaking, etc) but I prefer to simply steam them. Wrap them in a towel and use a steamer tray (or the like) and set in boiling water for 2-5 minutes. They can continue to steam as you work. If using flour tortillas, not need for a steam...

Pour half the sauce in a 9"x13" baking dish. Roll the enchiladas (spoonful of filling, roll) and lay out tightly in the tray. After the tray is full pour the remaining sauce over and sprinkle cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. I like to remove the foil and throw under the broiler for the last few minutes to give the cheese some crispness.

Enjoy with something light, like a green salad sprinkled with pepitas.