Corn and Poblano Lasagna

May 22, 2015

I watched Chef Marcela Valladodid on Food Network making this delicious looking alternative lasagna and was drooling. I am not a big fan of traditional lasagne; it is too rich for my taste. This lasagna I could get behind.  I love the flavor of roasted Poblano chilies. 

Then last Thanksgiving, my sister in law Katherine made it. Yum! Further more, she updated the recipe with changes she noted from comments on the website. She graciously shared the updated recipe with me. Right now, sitting in the fridge is a pan of Corn and Poblano Lasagna waiting to go into the oven for dinner. It is daughter's favorite- wanted to bake it fresh for her.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided  (I used  only 2 tablespoon)
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears), or frozen and thawed (I used 4 fresh corn, medium size)
2 cups heavy cream ( or 1.5 cup sour cream + 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt + ½ cup half & half)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (I used Thyme + lemon verbena)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise (3 med baby zucchini is ideal)
*7 fresh Poblano chilies, charred, peeled, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
12 (7 by 3-inch) no-boil lasagna sheets
2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese, or mozzarella
*(Poblano chilies are frequently labeled as Pasilla chillies, which is actually the dried version)

Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 2/3 of the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Mix in the corn and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and thyme. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes for the flavors to incorporate. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. 

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the zucchini and poblano strips and cook for 5 minutes for the flavors to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. (I added some Cayenne pepper because my poblano were not hot). Turn off the heat.

Spread about 1/4 of the corn mixture over the bottom of an 11 by 8-inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of 3 lasagna sheets. Spread 1/4 of the poblano mixture and 1/4 of the cheese over the pasta. Repeat the layering 3 more times. Cover with foil. 

Bake until the pasta is cooked and tender, about 50 minutes. Remove the foil and turn up the oven temperature to broil. Broil until golden brown and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes (don’t walk away, browns quickly!). Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.