Aztec Casserole Food

AZTEC CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, cheese, chile peppers, corn, and chicken. Mix together well.
• Dip 9 tortilla halves in enchilada sauce, and arrange them in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread 1/2 chicken mixture over the tortilla layer. Repeat.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until center is heated through.

AZTEC-STYLE ZUCCHINI BEEF CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF. Mix barbecue sauce and pepper in small bowl; set aside. Brown meat with onions and garlic in large skillet on medium-high heat 8 to 10 min., stirring occasionally. Drain. Add corn and barbecue sauce mixture; mix well.
• Reserve 5 zucchini slices; set aside. Arrange half of the remaining zucchini in single layer on bottom and side of 2-qt. casserole dish. Layer with half of the meat mixture, 1 cup of the cheese, remaining zucchini and remaining meat mixture. Top with reserved 5 zucchini slices and remaining cheese. Cover with foil.
• Bake 20 min. Remove foil. Bake an additional 5 min. until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

CHICKEN AZTEC CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Boil chicken breasts until no longer pink in the middle.
• Place cooked chicken breasts in food processor and give a few pulses to chop up. Don't get it too fine. If you don't have a food processor then shred the chicken by hand.
• In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients except tortilla strips and 1 cup of cheese. Also add in the chopped chicken. Mix well.
• Grease a 9x13 backing dish and place one layer of tortilla strips in bottom. Spoon 1/3 of mixture on strips and spread evenly. Continue alternating tortilla strips and chicken mixture with the top layer being the chicken mixture.
• Cover and bake for 60 minutes or until bubbly.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese on top. Put back in oven uncovered for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Cut and serve. Can top with sour cream, salsa, hot sauce or fresh guacamole.

AZTEC CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Ahead of time:.
• Prepare dried beans in a slow cooker.
• Cook on high until tender, (Approx. 3 hours).
• Prepare grains in rice cooker following directions for 2 cups of grain.
• (Approx 70 mins).
• When beans and grains are cooked:.
• In a very large skillet or sautee pan, heat half of the olive oil and brown the meat.
• Remove the meat to drain.
• Add the remaining oil and then cooking over medium heat, add chopped onions, peppers and garlic.
• Cook these until crisp-tender.
• Stir in corn and red chile paste (as desired).
• Add the cooked beans (including all the juice) and the cooked grains.
• Add the drained meat.
• Salt to taste and stir well.
• Simmer the mixture to slightly reduce the liquid and meld the flavors.

AZTEC SOUP

Steps:

• To make Aztec Soup: In a large pot, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes, until golden. Throw in the minced chipotles, red onion, cumin, smoked cayenne, smoked paprika, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and saute for 8 minutes. Deglaze the pot with chicken broth and add the tomatoes, Greek oregano, chicken meat and the sprig of epazote. Stir. Partially cover pot and simmer soup for about 40 minutes.
• Boil some salted water in a separate pot. Throw in the wild rice and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain.
• Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush some canola oil on the ears of corn. Grill the corn for a few seconds on all sides until marked. Slice off the corn niblets. Add the corn, wild rice, and cooked black beans to the soup. Season the soup with brown sugar, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and coriander (cilantro) to taste.
• Serve this soup with a dollop of creme fraiche, crispy tortillas and a squirt of fresh lime juice.
• To make 'Liquid Gold' Chicken Broth: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves and saute for 2 minutes, until garlic is golden. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Season the vegetables with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute for about 8 minutes. Cut the organic chicken and chicken bones into pieces. Really hack into it so that the bones and marrow are exposed. Add the chicken pieces and pint of chicken bones to the pot. Fill the pot with water until it just covers all the chicken, and bring to a boil.
• Tie the parsley, celery leaves, bay leaf, thyme, and tarragon into a bouquet using butcher's twine or kitchen twine. Add the bouquet to the pot along with the black peppercorns.
• Once the broth has begun to boil, bring the heat down to medium-low. Partially cover, and let the broth simmer for 2 to 3 hours.
• Strain the chicken broth through cheesecloth. Hand-pick the good chicken meat and set it aside.
• Refrigerate the broth overnight. Slip a sharp knife around the edges of solidified chicken fat and discard.

ZUCCHINI-TORTILLA CASSEROLE (PASTEL AZTECA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large heavy saute pan, add enough oil to come 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil on medium-high heat. When hot, work in batches and quickly fry the tortillas for about 10 seconds on each side (they should still be pliable). Remove the tortillas from the heat and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
• In a medium saute pan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and add the garlic and onion. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato puree. Cook for 10 minutes and turn the heat off.
• In a separate large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the zucchini and corn. Cook for 2 minutes, and then add the chopped poblano chiles. Add 1/2 cup water to the mixture and cook for 4 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray. Cover the bottom with about 4 tortillas. Add 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture on top of the tortillas. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the zucchini mixture. Add 1 cup of the cheese. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of Mexican crema. Sprinkle the first layer with some salt and pepper. Start on the second layer with the tortillas, then the tomato, zucchini, cheese and Mexican crema. Again sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Repeat for a third time, to finish off a third layer. Place the casserole into the oven until the cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

AZTEC CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, cheese, chile peppers, corn, and chicken. Mix together well. Dip 9 tortilla halves in enchilada sauce, and arrange them in the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Spread 1/2 chicken mixture over the tortilla layer. Repeat. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until center is heated through.