More hearty food for summer

I have been neglecting this blog for a bit. Things have been a bit hectic in my life, including a short spell in jury duty that was, shall we say "an emotional upheaval" for reasons having nothing to do with the case at hand. Fortunately, I was not asked to sit on the final jury and this is over for another six years. Let me say that I feel, very strongly, that jury duty is an obligation that goes hand in hand with the right to vote, and I have NO patience with anyone who tries to get out of it, period. Do your time. For one of the few times I can think of, I agree with the promotional video that says "wouldn't YOU want a jury of YOUR peers if you were in court?"

OK, off the soapbox and into the kitchen. A few entries ago, I went on a rant about "cold food," and "hearty food," and all that stuff. I will not rant any longer, but let's face it: the thought of eating nothing but cold vegetables and noodle salads, even when it's very hot, is not appealing to anyone. Everyone wants something savory that leaves him feeling "full" or "satisfied," however you want to describe it. The trick to "getting this right" during the summer, if in fact I have, is to work with things that are quick to put together, that can get you in and out of the kitchen and get you a good solid dish that you're proud to serve.

Squash enchiladas are a dish that I make frequently during peak summer, i.e, now, through the end of September. It's a variation of a recipe that I learned in one of the cookbooks from Greens restaurant. Greens does not have the cachet now it once did, but make the recipes. They're really good.

You'll need about eight of the larger, flour tortillas. Fajita tortillas are a bit too small. If you like whole wheat, use whole wheat, but you don't have to. You will also want some kind of cooked tomato product, be it sauce or , as was the case when I made this, confit (See how having "staples" on hand will help you? If you've made a big pot of tomato confit, as I plan to do tonight, you can use it in many ways, and have an "arsenal" you can fall back on. And confit doesn't take a lot of work or require much time in the kitchen). You will also want about a pound and a half of squash that you cut LENGTHWISE, or a combination of squash and bell peppers coming to about a pound and a half. The final, REQUIRED ingredient, is smoked cheese of some kind. When I learned how to make this, I used smoked cheddar cheese,and I still love it that way. I have made it with smoked edam, and I did NOT like it. So, too , with swiss cheese. The last time, I had some left over smoked sheeps milk cheese and used that. Grate up about a third of a pound of it, on the big tears of a three sided grater. Put that aside. Chop up your tomato confit if you're using it, until you have about two cups. If you're using tomato sauce, use two cups of that. You can also use a green sauce of some kind if you like. I make my own green sauce, from peppers and tomatillos and cilantro, but you can use a bottled one, or you can make it a different way, or you don't have to use it at all. For me, green sauce means spicy, and I like that. If you don't, don't use it.

Preheat your oven to 375. While it's heating up, take those vegetables you've got lengthwise, into thin strips, and add them to a big skillet that has about two tablespoons of vegetable oil, or olive oil if you prefer, nice and hot. Add a pinch of salt, and stir the vegetables until they're "tender crisp." They shouldn't be too soft, because you're going to bake them too. If you want to, you could also use a sliced onion with the vegetables. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't.

You now have a pan of cooked vegetables, and either one or two sauces , tortillas, and grated cheese ready. Lots of stuff , huh. Well, time to start singing "bit by bit, putting it together. " Put some tomatoes on the bottom of a baking dish. 9x13 is probably right. First, get your tortillas, one at a time. Take them and hold them over the hot vegetables for a few seconds, to soften them. If you're using green sauce, put a dab of it in the center of the tortilla, then add what looks
like a skimpy portion of vegetables to it, right in the center. Now, you roll up the tortilla this way: take the end closest to you , and roll it up over the filling. Fold in the sides, and then finish the roll up. You'll have what looks like a "Mexican egg roll," and that's what you want. Do this until you run out of tortillas. You probably won't run out of vegetables, and that's okay. As the tortillas are filled and rolled, put them in the pan, on the sauce. When you've finished, pour the rest of your sauce or confit over them. If it doesn't cover completely, don't worry. Just spread it as nicely as you can, and sprinkle the cheese over it.

Put the dish, uncovered, in the oven, and bake it for a half hour or so, until the cheese takes on a color that's toasty and as dark as you like.

And that's it. This can feed four people very nicely, or two people twice, or one person who's had a few joints as a snack (Did I just say that???? I'm SHOCKED).

Seriously, I was thinking just yesterday that one of the "givens" of summer is squash. Use it as many ways as you can. This is a good way. In the winter, you can use that Mexican squash, chayote, and it's good too. If you happen to have red peppers and you can cook them with the squash, also good. But make it.

Annalena insists