Chile Squash Casserole

I’ve been making variations of this dish for a long time. Similar recipes are seen in books about Mexican home cooking but are rarely served in restaurants.

Take care to remove or cook off as much liquid as possible – you don’t want the dish to become mushy.

If you want to make a stew or soup from the same ingredients, omit the cheese and simmer in chicken stock until the vegetables are barely done.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ea. medium zucchini or Mexican squash
• 4 ea. medium waxy potatoes (red, white or Yukon gold), partially cooked
• 1 ea. large white onion, thinly sliced
• 15 oz can of whole tomatoes (thoroughly drained), or three large ripe, fresh tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup shredded melting cheese (jack, provolone, quesadilla, mozzarella) or more/less to taste
• 2 fresh jalapenos, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 cup topping cheese (cotija, parmesan, romano)
• 2 tsp. dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 10 poblano chiles (labelled 'pasilla' in California)
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt

PREPARATION

- Blister and deskin the poblano chiles, remove the stem end, seeds and separate into large pieces.

- Cook the potatoes until barely tender, let cool, then slice 1/8 inch thick.

- Peel the squash and cut the long way into 1/4 inch thick slices, place on paper towel, sprinkle with salt and set aside for at least 30 minutes to remove some of the water.

- Into a buttered 14×8 inch glass casserole dish place layers of potato, onion, squash, chile, tomato, corn, melting cheese; sprinkle with jalapeno, garlic, oregano, black pepper and repeat layering once.

- Bake partially covered in a 400 degree oven for at least 30 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.

- Lastly, sprinkle with the topping cheese and bake uncovered for 15 minutes more.