Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Butternut Squash, Corn, and Cheese Enchiladas with Tomatillo-Green Chili Sauce

Wow ... what a long recipe title. The original recipe was only Cheese Enchiladas with Tomatillo-Green Chili Sauce from Bon Appetit. I had the idea of adding squash and corn after my first recent visit to a great Scottsdale restaurant called, The Herb Box, where I had something similar. Overall this was pretty good. It wasn't something that I would crave and make over and over. I got a lot of satisfaction out of learning how to make my own green sauce from fresh ingredients ... I just am more of a red enchilada sauce fan. But, it was fun to try to venture off from the normal recipe and use my imagination.

Serves 4:
3/4 lb. tomatillos, husked, quartered
1 1/4 c. water
2 T. minced, seeded jalapeno chilies (about 1 large)
12 garlic cloves
2 1/2 c. chopped green onions (about a whole bunch)
3/4 c mild green chilies (I used Trader Joe's Hatch green chilies in the can ... great!)
12 large spinach leaves
8 corn tortillas
3 c. Monterey Jack cheese (about 12 oz)

My additions: cooked cubed butternut squash and canned corn

To make the green sauce: Bring first 4 ingredients to boil in large skillet. Reduce heat to med-low, cover, simmer until tomatillos are soft, about 15 min. Transfer mixture to blender; add 2 cups green onions, green chilies, and spinach; puree. Season salt with salt (1/2 t. is a good starting place) and pepper. Return sauce to skillet.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil 13x9x2 glass baking dish. Dip 1 tortilla into sauce. Place tortilla on plate. Top with 2 T. Cheese, 1 T. green onion, 1 T. sauce and butternut squash and corn (if using). Roll up and place seam side down in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese melts, about 15-20 minutes.

4 comments:

wirrek said...

Do you think that they use spinach in authentic green sauces? It just sounds like a good idea.

Robin said...

My guess is no ... I think Bon Appetit just used it for making the sauce look a little more green. Once the tomatillos cook they really whiten so I think they added the spinach to adjust the color.

KAJ said...

This really is quite impressive! I would never have thought to add the squash to it!

Anonymous said...

This looks great. I found this because we were just in Santa Fe and I wanted to recreate a butternut squash, goat chees and green chile bake. I'm hoping this will come close. Thanks!