Monday, July 23, 2012

Grilled Zucchini Enchiladas

When's the last time you cooked something so good you licked your plate?  For me, it happened last night when I made Grilled Zucchini Enchiladas.  And again half an hour ago when I ate leftovers.  This is some pure unadulterated white and green goodness, with a vast majority of the ingredients sourced fresh from the farmer's market.


Let's discuss tomatillo salsa, shall we?  I. Am. Obsessed.  I've made it in summers past (here and here), and I love it so much that I might make a few enormous batches to freeze or give away as gifts this year.  This salsa is somewhat sweet, thanks to the tomatillos.  The sweetness also helps offset the heat of the jalapenos and then you get a tangy kick of lime with the overall smoky charred backbone - it's a very balanced flavor profile.  It would taste awesome on chicken or pork, eggs, practically every vegetable, and, duh, tortilla chips. I admit that in the past 24 hours, I've taken a few hits of it, straight up, on a spoon.


I wanted to keep the guts of these enchiladas as green and white as possible (because that sounded pretty), so I grilled up some zucchini, onion, and corn and mixed in white beans and goat cheese.  The hot grilled veggies melted the goat cheese so the filling was all creamy and rich.  I rolled that hot filling up in some grill-charred corn tortillas and topped it with the still warm green salsa.  


I don't whip this phrase out very often, but I am a Norwegian-Minnesotan so I sometimes use it for emphasis: UFF DA!!  Best enchiladas EVER.  If you try one new food this year, make it tomatillo salsa.  And if you don't like it, I'll take it off your hands, promise.


Grilled Zucchini Enchiladas
Serves 4

For the tomatillo salsa:
12-15 tomatillos, papery coverings removed and rinsed
3-4 cloves garlic, skins removed
1 medium onion, quartered
1-2 jalapeno chili peppers (or serrano chilis), depending on your spice tolerance
juice of 1 lime
1 big handful cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

For the enchiladas:
3 zucchini or yellow squash (or combination), sliced into planks
1 red onion, sliced into thick rings
3 ears corn, shucked
1 can or pint white beans, drained
1 log goat cheese
1 package tortillas, flour or corn

To make your tomatillo salsa, heat your outdoor grill, grill pan, or broiler.  Coat tomatillos, onion, chilis, and garlic in olive oil and grill or broil until charred all over.  A nifty grill basket comes in handy here so things don't fall through the grates.  Remove stem and seeds from chilis and pulse everything in a food processor or blender with lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.

To make your enchiladas, coat onion, zucchini, and corn with oil and grill until barely charred.  Chop zucchini and onion and remove corn from cob.  Put veggies in a big bowl with beans and 3/4 of the goat cheese log. Mix well and the heat from the veggies should melt the cheese but no big whoop if it doesn't.

Toast your tortillas over a gas burner or the grill to get a little char on them.  This step is not necessary, but I think it adds another smoky grilled flavor to the final dish, plus a little extra crunch.  Careful you don't make the tortillas TOO toasty or you won't be able to roll them.

If making for a crowd, roll filling in tortillas and place in large baking dish.  Top with tomatillo salsa and crumble remaining goat cheese on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or hot through.

If making for just a few people (or if you can't use your oven), roll hot filling in tortillas and put on plate and top with tomatillo salsa and crumbled goat cheese.  You can nuke it for a minute if it's no longer hot.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Bird Bars
TWO YEARS AGO:  Salad on a Stick

3 comments:

  1. Yum, yum, yum....let's do this on Thursday!! Alicia

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  2. Doritos. Seriously make sure to have a bag around the next time you need a green salsa delivery device. Don't think about how it won't work or how wrong it is, just trust me.

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  3. Oh Kris. Doritos are my kryptonite. They are forbidden in my house, I seriously have no "off" switch where Doritos are concerned! I'll bet they're amazing with green salsa!

    ReplyDelete