Black Bean and Corn Chilaquiles

One thing I love about having this nomadic life of ours is the flavors you pick up along the way.
The first time I tried Chilaquiles, I was living in Nicaragua. We had a bridge group that got together every now and then and a friend was serving it. I come from the land of wheat, not corn so anything that had to do with tortillas was new to me. So were the blackbeans.

Today I was making them and a friend suggested I post the recipe. Chilaquiles are meant to be put together with whatever leftover you have on hand but I like a vegetarian version of it best.
It might have been originally Racheal Ray recipe but not sure:

(serves a hungry 4 or dieting 8)
2 packs of day-old corn tortillas (if in a pinch use good tortilla chips)
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
500 gr mexican tomato sauce (very basic tomato sauce, flavor with chipotles)
3 ears of corn or about 300 grs of frozen corn kernels
2-3 cloves of garlic
corn oil
limes for zesting
cumin
red pepper flakes (as hot or sweet as you like)
sour cream
monterrey jack or similar grating cheese
chives

Heat the oven to 200C. If using tortillas, cut them in 2 cm wide strips. In a bowl mix the tortillas, about a tsp of cumin, zest of 2 limes,some coarse sea salt and a tsp of red pepper. Lay out in a large tray and roast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until they are crisp.

Meanwhile, prepare the real Mexican tomato sauce (or go very lazy and heat a little corn oil and stir fry a clove of garlic and add about 2 cans of peeled whole tomatoes, some sea salt, heat of your choosing I use chipotles and let simmer for about 5 minutes breaking the tomatoes with the back of a spoon) set aside.

Sweat the corn with a little butter and cumin, set aside

Heat up the black beans, rectifying season (sometimes I sautee a small onion sometimes I don't) mushing them up somewhat. Set aside.


In a large casserole assemble as follows: Tortillas, sauce, bean and corn. I do this layering at least twice. Then grate some monterrey jack or whatever grating cheese you have on hand and in the oven it goes for -oh, about 10-15 minutes.

Grate some more lime zest and chop some chives before serving with good sour cream..
Enjoy...


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