Butternut Apple Enchiladas

 I've just finished a wonderful book by Kathleen Flinn, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks, which is the second of her books I've read.  We at Cook the Books, featured  Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good last year, and I did enjoy it, and posted about my  Perfect Pizza, but this one I'm way fonder of.  Great sense of humor right from the first paragraph, where she explains what got her started on the project that led to this book.  She says: "Normally, I do not stalk people in grocery stores.  I confess to the occasional practice of supermarket voyeurism."

Following a woman and her daughter through the supermarket aisles, amazed at what they were putting in their cart, how she found herself convincing the woman to make better choices, without preaching or haranguing. Flinn gives down-to-earth information on changing eating habits whilst being entertaining at the same time. All that and with recipes thrown in.


Even though I'm considered a pretty good home cook, and already live by no (or hardly ever) junk food, factory meat, buy only organic produce, etc., I found lots of useful ideas in this book.  Plenty to learn from Flynn's teaching, restaurant work and catering experience as well as from what she gleaned from culinary school at Le Cordon Blu.  As well, the inspiration to acquire skills in a few areas she made me realize I need help, i.e. to be able to quickly and easily break down a whole chicken or duck (I've done it, the emphasis here is quickly and easily), fillet a whole fish or even to properly prepare an artichoke.  Usually I just roast a whole chicken or buy the parts I want, buy fish already filleted and eat artichokes simply steamed whole.

My inspired recipe is a pan of enchiladas with an unusual filling. One of Flinn's lessons with the cooking students was on using up the produce in your fridge and any left-overs.  So, with my butternut squash sitting (lurking) in the crisper drawer, I came up with this.  Roasted butternut squash with apple and cheese, topped with green chili enchilada sauce.  The ingredients are for 1 butternut squash which would make lots of extra to freeze for another day, unless you are making more than 6-8 enchiladas.  Or just use half the squash.  I roasted the squash and apple first, then set aside to lightly mash for filling.

Ingredients for the filling:

     1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1" chunks (I just used 1/2 to serve 2-3 - use the whole thing for more servings )
     3 tablespoons good olive oil
     2 teaspoons kosher salt
     1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
     1/2 a peeled, cored, chunked apple

     1/4 teas. cinnamon

     1/8 teas. nutmeg

      1/ lemon
      pinch of ground chipotle pepper.  Very little unless you like it hot.
     1 tablespoon butter

  Squash and Apple Enchiladas

      2 cups green chili or tomatillo sauce

      1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

     1/2 cup thick Crema or sour cream

      butternut squash/apple filling

      6 corn tortillas (or however many you want)
      Cilantro sprigs for garnish

    Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the squash on a sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, pepper, chipotle powder and toss well. Arrange the squash in one layer and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the squash is tender, turning once with a metal spatula, half-way through, adding in the apple. Before adding, toss the apple with a squeeze or two of lemon, nutmeg and cinnamon.  When finished, set aside in a bowl with a tablespoon of butter (while still hot). Dice and mash up, tasting for additional seasoning.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Assemble by heating sauce to a simmer, then dip each tortilla in, one at a time, just enough to heat and soften slightly, about 20 seconds each side.  Stack on a plate as you go for filling.  To each tortilla, add about 2 tablespoons filling, 2 tablespoons grated cheese and tablespoon of crema.  Roll and place in a glass pan, seam side down.   Top with grated cheese and bake for about 20 minutes.

 

 

This only needs a bit of fresh greens on the side.  I made a quick avocado, tomato and arugula tossed salad, and sprinkled cilantro on my own enchilada serving, as Bob doesn't like that herb. It always needs to be separate.  This will be linked over at Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking event and at February's 2017 Foodie Reads.  Check out both links for good food and books.