Mexican Breakfast Casserole

This has got to be one of the most flavorful Mexican casseroles I have ever tried. However, even though I’m extremely fond of “spicy” food, I have a difficult time categorizing this as a “breakfast” dish. Personally, I’d be more inclined to serve it for dinner; but, a late brunch would be okay, as well. This was my first experience with chorizo. I was expecting a semi-soft spicy sausage, that you squeeze out of the natural casings and crumble (like Italian sausage). What I got, was a very wet, soft sausage, in an inedible plastic casing-shaped bag that I had to cut open. The flavor was wonderful, but the texture left me puzzled. (I think next time I’ll look for natural casing links.) This is an Emeril Lagasse recipe, has a 5-star rating and tons of rave reviews. There were no images with the recipe, so, I just followed along with the directions, not quite sure what the final result was supposed to look like. This is an “overnight” casserole, which is my favorite kind (you do all the prep the night before, then just pop it in the oven in the AM). This dish has it all: chorizo, roasted poblanos, corn tortillas, onions, bell peppers, garlic, cilantro, pepper jack and cheddar cheeses, hot sauce – a real Mexican Fiesta of flavor! The eggs get kind of lost in the wide array of ingredients; however, it does yield a nice, almost custard-like texture. Preparation takes a little time, but, if you like spicy Mexican, it is so worth the extra effort. I can see this being a big hit at a Super Bowl party; or pin it, and save it for that Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Roast the peppers. You can do this by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them often with tongs, until all sides are charred black (7 to 10 minutes). Peel, seed and cut in half lengthwise. 

Or, you can roast them under a broiler, which is what I did. I sliced them in half, seeded them, placed them “skin side up” on a foil lined baking sheet.

I then put them on highest oven rack and broiled for 12 to 15 minutes. 
 

Place the blackened peppers in a resealable plastic, or paper, bag; seal and let rest about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers. If you have a tough time removing all the skin; I found that lightly “shaving” the skin with a serrated steak knife worked well to remove the stubborn pieces of skin.

Butter a 9x13x2-inch baking dish. Spread the roasted poblanos in a flat layer across the bottom of the dish. Set aside.

In large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, stirring to break up the meat (?? mine was already broken up). Cook until browned. Add the onions and bell peppers to skillet and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder and cook for an additional 1 minute. Remove from the heat; set aside. If necessary, drain.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, hot sauce, salt and pepper.

In another bowl, combine the green onions, cilantro, pepper jack and cheddar cheeses. Mix well.

Cut corn tortillas in quarters.

Note: You may want to add more tortillas than this recipe calls for. It was kind of skimpy. I would add at least 1 more tortilla, quartered; maybe even more. You may also need additional poblano peppers to fully line bottom of dish, depending on the size of the peppers.

Spoon 1/3 of the chorizo mixture over the poblanos in the dish. 

Top with 1/3 of the tortilla quarters and 1/3 of the cheese mixture.

 Repeat layering, ending with a cheese layer.

Pour the egg mixture over all the ingredients. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Bake until bubbly and golden brown, and a knife inserted into the custard comes out clean (1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes). Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and picante sauce, if desired.

MEXICAN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
Source: Emeril Lagasse, 2001
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com



INGREDIENTS:

• 6 poblano chile peppers, about 1 1/2 pounds (more if peppers are on the small side)
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1-1/2 pounds Mexican chorizo, or other hot sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
• 1 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1/2 cup    chopped red bell peppers
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 4 teaspoons chili powder
• 5 corn tortillas, quartered
• 10 large eggs   
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions, green tops only
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1-1/2 cups grated pepper jack cheese
• 1-1/2 cups grated medium cheddar cheese
• Sour Cream, optional, for garnish
• Picante Sauce (store bought), optional, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Roast the peppers. You can do this by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them often with
     tongs, until all sides are charred black (7 to 10 minutes). Peel, seed, and cut in half lengthwise.
     Or, you can roast them under a broiler, which is what I did. I sliced them in half, seeded them, placed
     them “skin side up” on a foil lined baking sheet. I then put them on highest oven rack and broiled for
     12 to 15 minutes. Place the blackened peppers in a resealable plastic, or paper, bag; seal and let rest
     about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers. If you have a tough time removing all the skin; I found that
     lightly “shaving” the skin with a serrated steak knife worked well to remove the stubborn pieces of
     skin.
2.  Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Spread the chiles in a flat layer across the bottom of the dish.
3.  In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, stirring to break up the meat, until
     browned. Add the onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and chili
     powder, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
4.  In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and half-and-half with the hot sauce, salt and black pepper.
5.  In another bowl, combine the green onions, cilantro, pepper jack and cheddar cheeses. Mix well.
6.  Spoon 1/3 of the sausage mixture over the chiles in the dish, top with 1/3 of the tortilla quarters, and
     1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layering, ending with a cheese layer. Pour the egg mixture over the
     ingredients. Let rest, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
7.  Preheat the oven to 350° F.
8.  Bake until bubbly and golden brown, and a knife inserted into the custard comes out clean (1
     hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes). Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before
     serving. Serve with sour cream and picante sauce.

Yield: 10 servings