Corn Tortilla Casserole Inspired By Zaar Chefs Recipes

DOUBLE CORN TORTILLA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Grease a 2-quart square baking dish.
• Tear tortillas into bite-size pieces (pizza cutter works well).
• Arrange HALF the tortillas in the baking dish.
• Top with HALF of the cheese, HALF of the corn, HALF of the green onions.
• Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, cheese, corn and onions.
• Stir together eggs buttermilk, and green chilies.
• Gently pour over tortilla mixture.
• Bake uncovered in a 325 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Serve warm with salsa or picante sauce.

CORN TORTILLA CASSEROLE INSPIRED BY ZAAR CHEFS

Steps:

• Note for Canadians: I used the following to prepare this dish: 1 796-mL tin of tomatoes, 1 398-mL tin of refried beans and 1 430-mL jar of picante sauce.
• Also, the cheese I used was a prepackaged shredded mix called"Casserole Mix"; it's a mixture of cheddar, colby and monterey jack.
• Feel free to spice this up as you please; I deliberately kept this lowkey and mild to please my husband, who would not have liked it if I had added the"firepower" I would have liked to add; also note that the omission of salt is not an error--I didn't think the recipe needed salt at all.
• Preheat oven to 325F; have ready an ungreased 13x9 pan.
• Take 1 tortilla, lightly spread a bit of margarine on both sides (going right to the edges), and place on a microwave-safe plate; I used a small piece of wax paper wadded up into a ball to do the spreading.
• Place the next tortilla on top, lightly spread margarine on it (on the top side only), get the next tortilla, repeat process, and so on and so on, until you have a stack of 18 tortillas; this may take more than the 2 tbsp of margarine, depending on how thinly you've spread it.
• Place plate in microwave and cook, on High, for 5 minutes; when time is up, set tortillas aside.
• Meanwhile, crumble beef into a large skillet and saute.
• When brown, place beef in a mixing bowl, discarding any fat.
• Stir chili powder into beef, then add 1 cup shredded cheese and the tin of tomatoes; combine well.
• Place 6 corn tortillas into the bottom of 13x9 pan; top with half the ground beef mixture.
• Place 6 tortillas on top of beef.
• Spread the refried beans across these 6 tortillas, distributing as evenly as possible.
• Top refried beans with remaining beef mixture.
• Place the last 6 tortillas on top of beef mixture.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the entire jar of picante sauce with the sour cream.
• Spread this mixture across the top of casserole, making sure to cover all exposed areas of the corn tortillas.
• Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of casserole.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
• Serve with sour cream on the side, if you wish, and a green salad.

CHEESY TORN CORN TORTILLA CASSEROLE (MEATLESS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
• Tear 6 tortillas into bite-sized pieces and cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top and then evenly spoon green chilies on top of cheese. Tear rest of tortillas and put over chili-cheese layer. Sprinkle rest of cheese on top.
• Beat the eggs, salt and buttermilk in a bowl and pour over tortillas and cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

CORN TORTILLA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in the beans, corn, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder and garlic; cook for 3 minutes., Place one tortilla in a greased round 2-qt. baking dish; top with 1 cup meat mixture. Repeat layers fives times. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

CHEF JOHN'S CORN TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Add masa harina to a large bowl. Sprinkle in salt and add hot tap water. Stir mixture with your fingers until dough starts to pull together.
• Knead for a few minutes to smooth it out until texture resembles modeling clay or putty. Add more water if dough is too dry and more flour if too wet.
• Place a damp towel and over the dough to keep it from drying out. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Cut a zip-top bag into 2 rounds the same size as your tortilla press. Place 1 round on the bottom of the press.
• Place a clean kitchen towel over a pie dish for holding the cooked tortillas later.
• Pull off a little piece of the dough, enough to roll into a 1 1/2-inch or 1-ounce ball. Remove the top round of plastic, place dough ball in the center of the bottom round, and press down lightly. Cover dough with the top piece of plastic.
• Fold the tortilla press over, apply pressure to the lever arm until tortilla flattens to your desired thinness.
• Peel off the top piece of plastic. Line up the index finger of your dominant hand with the edge of the tortilla; flip it over into your other hand. Carefully peel off the plastic.
• Gently slide tortilla, palm-up, into a hot, dry pan over medium- to medium-high heat. Cook first side for 30 to 45 seconds. Turn over and cook second side for 1 minute. Flip and press once or twice with a spatula until tortilla puffs up slightly. Cook for 30 seconds more. Flip one last time and cook for 5 to 10 seconds.
• Quickly transfer tortilla to the pie dish and fold the towel over to wrap it up. Repeat pressing and cooking the rest of the tortilla dough, stacking and wrapping as you go.
• Leave the stack of tortillas wrapped until soft and supple, at least 15 minutes.

HOMEMADE CORN TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Set a comal, a flat griddle, or a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until thoroughly heated. (If the pan isn't hot enough, the tortillas will stick to it.)
• Meanwhile, cut two circles about the size of the tortilla press plates (or at least 6 inches in diameter if using a rolling pin) out of thin plastic bags, such as produce bags from the grocery store; do not use plastic wrap.
• In a large bowl, mix together the masa harina, salt, and water and then knead in a circular motion until the dough feels smooth and without lumps. It shouldn't be wet or sticky but nice and moist. If it feels coarse when you gather the dough together, add a bit more water. Masa dries out fast, so keep it covered while you make the tortillas.
• Roll a piece of the dough in the palm of your hand into a ball about 1½ inches in diameter. Place one of the plastic circles on the bottom of the tortilla press and place the ball on top. Place the other plastic circle on top of the ball and clamp down the press to make a flat disk, jiggling the press a little as you get to the bottom (this makes for a rounder tortilla). It should be about 5 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Alternatively, you can place a ball between plastic sheets or parchment paper and roll out the tortillas with a rolling pin.
• Open the press, check the tortilla for dryness (see Cook's Trick), and add water to the dough if needed. Remove the plastic on top of the tortilla, then lift up the bottom piece of plastic and the tortilla with one hand and peel the tortilla away from the plastic with the other hand. Keep at least half of the tortilla off your hand to make it easier to transfer it swiftly to the hot pan.
• Place the tortilla on the hot surface and don't touch it for 30 seconds-even if it doesn't lie completely flat, resist the temptation to fiddle with it! Cook until you can easily lift it with a spatula, 40 seconds to 1 minute; it should be opaque on the cooked side. Flip and cook for about a minute longer, until it has begun to get brown freckles. Flip once more. After 10 to 15 seconds, the tortilla should puff like pita bread, if not all over, at least in one area. If it is not puffing, gently tease it along by poking it in the center with the tip of your finger. Once it puffs, let the tortilla continue cooking for another 15 to 20 seconds, so that it cooks all the way through. That extra cooking is what makes the difference between stiff tortillas and those that are toothy, tender, and pliable.
• Transfer the cooked tortilla to a clean kitchen towel or a cloth-lined tortillero (a tortilla basket, which looks just like a bread basket) and cover to keep warm while you make the rest of the tortillas.
• Cook's Trick
• The masa has to be as soft and smooth as Play-Doh. This has less to do with the kneading-which takes under a minute-than with the amount of water. The measurement given on most bags for masa harina is too low. Here I give you the measurement that works for me. Things will vary, however, according to climate and ingredients. One way to tell if your masa needs more water is to take a look at the first tortilla after you have pressed it out. If the edges seem cracked and rough, you need more water. The tortilla should be smooth and even along the edges, not at all ridged.