Tortilla Pie

One of the blogs I follow regularly is Kaffee Klatsch. Every week, Magi posts a recipe to participate in Favorite Ingredients Friday. For the past year, I've been thinking that I should participate in the weekly recipe swap too, but I never seem to find just 10 minutes to do it.

Until today. If you click on the picture below, you will connect to Overwhelmed With Joy, the sponsor of the recipe swap, and you will find other delicious recipes to try!


Okay, this week's theme for recipes is Mexican, so I'm including my recipe for Tortilla Pie. This recipe is from the December '06 issue of Everyday Food. We've made it a bunch of times. It's really good AND easy to make!

Ingredients:

4 10-inch flour tortillas
1 Tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the pan
1 medium onion, shopped
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound ground beef sirloin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 10 ounce package frozen corn kernals
3 packed cups loose baby spinach, torn into pieces
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)
sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan (use the removable bottom of the pan as a guide). Assemble the pan with the bottom upside down, lightly oil the bottom and sides. Set aside.


2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, cumin, and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Raise heat to medium-high; add beef and garlic. Cook, breaking up meat with a spoon until no longer pink, 4 to 6 minutes. Add corn and spinach; stir until spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes.


3. Place one tortilla in the prepared pan. Spreading evenly, top with 1-1/2 packed cups of beef mixture, then 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat with two more layers. Top with the last tortilla, and sprinkle with remianing 1/2 cup cheese.


4. Bake pie until top is lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan; remove sides. Using two wide metal spatulas, lift pie from the bottom of pan, and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into wedges. If desired, serve with cilantro and sour cream.

A few notes...I don't put in all the spinach. I can't hide all three cups from K! And sometimes I use cheddar cheese instead. I also often add more tomato paste.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the recipe. I'd like to participate in the recipe swap a few times each month, so check back for more! I've put a link in the left column so you will be able to find them easily!