Roasted Veggie Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo sauce

I love making casseroles, I think they are very comforting and I especially like to dig into the cheesy crusts. I sometimes buy frozen entrees by Amy’s Kitchen and I really liked their enchilada entrée with tomatillo sauce. I tried to re-create it at home and the end result was pretty satisfying. I found this recipe by Rick Bayless for Creamy tomatillo sauce and tweaked it just a little bit to suit our taste.

Ingredients:
For the Sauce:
Tomatillos – about 8 medium size, husked and rinsed
Onion – 1 large, roughly chopped
Garlic – 3 cloves, peeled
Heavy cream – ½ cup
Veggie broth – 2 cups
Sugar – 2tsp
Salt & Pepper – to taste

For Enchiladas:
Corn Tortillas – 10
Vegetables – 8 cups, chopped (I used carrots, red & yellow peppers, zucchini & onion)
Pepper jack cheese – 1 cup, grated
Salt & pepper – to taste

Method:

• Heat the oven to Broil. Evenly spread the tomatillos, onions and garlic on a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes; Turn the vegetables around and broil for another 5 minutes or until the tomatillos are charred on all sides. Remove and set aside.
• Lower the oven to 425°F. Spread the chopped veggies on a baking sheet (lined with foil for easy clean up), add 2tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast them for 25-30 minutes turning them around half way, until the veggies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove and keep aside.
• In the meantime make the tomatillo sauce: Blend the roasted tomatillos, onions and garlic along with the juices until very smooth. Heat 2tsp olive oil in a sauce pan, pour in the tomatillo puree; cook until the puree turns darker and thicker, about 8-10 minutes. Add broth and cream; simmer on low flame for 30 minutes until the mixture thickens. Be careful with the spluttering of the hot simmering sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Keep aside.
• To Assemble: Pour 1 cup of the tomatillo sauce on the bottom of the casserole/ baking dish.
• Brush tortillas lightly on both sides with oil; stack and wrap them in a damp paper towel. Microwave for 1 minute. While the tortillas are still warm and pliable, place 2tbsp roasted vegetables, roll and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with all the tortillas.
• Pour more sauce over the tortillas, top with grated cheese.
• Bake in the preheated 425°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve warm and enjoy the gooey goodness.

Green Tomato Pachadi

Uragaya or pickle, pachadi or chutney find a special place on any Andhraiite plate. It is a tradition in many families to have some kind of a pickle or chutney for almost every meal. It is not an exaggeration to say that a meal is not complete with either of above for these pickle aficionados.

Basic difference between a pickle and a chutney is the shelf life: pickles can be stored at room temperature for almost a year whereas chutneys are generally consumed within a day or two of making. Also pickles use raw veggies, more salt and oil for preservation purposes, while chutneys can be more "figure friendly". Pickles generally need almost 3-4 days marination before tasting, chutneys can be eaten right away.

There is another class in between pickle and chutney, also called pachadi for lack of another word. These resemble pickles because they use raw veggies and lot more chili powder and salt compared to chutneys. Easy to make, can be eaten after 1 day marination and last up to a month in the refrigerator or at room temperature (with enough salt).
The idea to make Tomato pachadi in Dosa avakai style (Cucumber pickle, a very famous Andhra pachadi) came from my mom. She tasted it recently at one of our relatives place and was very impressed with the new idea that she passed it onto me. I decided to use Green tomatoes or Tomatillos instead of the red ones. The reason being tomatillos have a more tart flavor and are crisper than regular tomatoes.

(Picture courtesy Gourmet Sleuth)

Ingredients:
Tomatillos - 4 medium
Red chili powder - 2 tbsp
Mustard powder - 2 tbsp
Salt - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Vinegar (Lemon juice)- 1 tsp
Method:

• Remove the outer papery skin around the tomatillos and rinse them thoroughly. They tend to be sticky, so make sure to thoroughly clean them. Dry them completely, before finely dicing them.
• In a clean, dry dish, add chili powder, mustard powder (grind mustard seeds in the spice grinder or blender) and salt. Mix well.
• Add vinegar, tomato pieces and oil (you can use any oil sesame seed oil, vegetable, canola etc.). Mix well with a clean, dry spoon.
• Let it sit for atleast 1 whole day and enjoy the spicy pachadi with plain rice and dal.
  

You can find Dosa avakai recipe from Sailu's Kitchen here.
I made the pickle in a steel dish and I transfered into a sterile glass bottle after 1 day. Vinegar is added to keep veggie pieces crisp longer (Mom's tip) and also for that extra zing (my tip :0)
This is my entry to Pooja's Vegetable of the Week series, over at Creative Ideas.