Mexican Lasagne

Potlucks are hard for me. I need more control...

I am a food snob. Potluck dinners push every culinary button I have. I enjoy the careful planning of a meal; I like putting together complimentary foods as an artist puts together colors on a palette; I love cooking the food. Potlucks sometimes make that difficult. For me. Remember, these are MY issues!

But, with Mark's help in teaching me to let go, I now enjoy getting into the spirit of the event and joining the fun. However, I still hope for something I would actually want to eat – so I make it myself.

Potlucks are about being relaxed, having fun, and sharing a good time. I have learned to let go of my culinary control issues and admit that, for the most part, they are NOT about the food.

There are potluck groups that ARE about the food. Our monthly FOB (Friends Of Barbara) dinners are amazing - all households involved are really good cooks - and usually they have a fun theme which must recur in each and every course: basil, red, pistachios, citrus, chocolate, and so on.

But for tonight’s Mexican-themed potluck, I made a heavy-duty casserole. For this gathering of 60-75 people, courses are assigned based on where your last name falls in the alphabet: if A-E, you bring an appetizer, and so on for main dish, salads, side dishes, and deserts.

The nice thing about this alphabetical arrangement AND having a two-last-name household is that I can decide whether we want to use my last name or Mark's. I chose Mark's this time around because I waned to try this recipe.

I went online and looked at all variety of tortilla casseroles. Some used tortilla chips à la chilaquiles, while others used soft tortillas. After reading about 20 different recipes, I had enough ideas to put together something fun and tasty!

My version is basically a Mexican lasagne using soft tortillas as the pasta, and for the filling, Mexican ingredients: beef, tomatoes, tomatillos, and beans, seasoned with cumin, oregano, ground chiles, and onions. Like an Italian lasagne, it is layered: pasta, filling, cheese, repeat.

So, by 5:30, the margaritas will be flowing, the music provided by Brazukas (two amazing Brazilian guitarists) will be wafting through the neighborhood, people will be gathering in festive attire, and long tables draped in bright colors will be topped with an amazing array of dishes.

¡Esta noche, se come muy bien!

~ David

Mexican Lasagne

2 pounds ground beef (85% lean)
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons medium hot chile powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted with chiles)
2 cups refried beans, or 1 14-ounce can refried beans
10 medium sized tomatillos, husked and roasted or grilled, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (I used goat feta)
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
3 cups of shredded cheese (I use a Mexican blend)
about 14 corn tortillas
sour cream and avocados, for serving

In a skillet cook ground beef and onion until onion is clear and beef is browned.

Add chile powder, cumin and oregano, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, refried beans, and tomatillos and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

Coat the bottom of a 9-inch by13-inch baking pan with olive oil. Using 6 tortillas, cover the sides and bottom of the pan. To get the corners, cut or tear a 2-inch slit into four of the tortillas and overlap the cut areas to make a corner. You may need to cut/tear some of the tortillas to make them fit.

Cover with a third of the meat mixture, sprinkle with a third of the feta, a third of the cilantro and a third of the cheese blend. Repeat the layering, ending with the final third of the remaining meat mixture, feta, cilantro and cheese blend.

Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Serve with a salad on the side; pass the sour cream and avocado.

Serves 8-10.

Notes:
• If you can't get tomatillos, use an additional can of diced tomatoes.
• To make this vegetarian, substitute mushrooms for the meat.

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