Cinco Queso Chile Verde Stack
Chef Robert Margolis
BCC Catering
Chef Margolis gives lasagna a Mexican twist by layering the pasta with a green chile Alfredo sauce. Five different cheeses further enrich the dish, including Hispanic cotija and queso fresco. The recipe makes for a Cinco de Mayo mashup with wide appeal.
Ingredients
1 qt. heavy cream
8 cloves garlic, finely minced, divided
8 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1 oz. vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, diced small
8 roasted fresh Anaheim green chiles, diced or 12 oz. frozen diced green chilis
3 jalapeños, minced (seeds and stem removed)
8 oz. diced tomatoes, seeds removed (concasse)
1 qt. prepared chicken stock
3 oz. clarified butter
3 oz. all-purpose flour
2 lb. cooked pulled chicken with no bones (white and dark meat)
1 lb. queso fresco cheese
8 oz. cojita cheese
1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 lb. ricotta cheese
20 sheets fresh lasagne chef sheets
Non-stick cooking spray
Steps
- For Alfredo sauce, measure cream into stainless steel saucepot. Place over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. Add four minced garlic cloves, green chiles, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. With wire whisk, stir to blend. Continue simmering until sauce reduces and thickens; remove from heat and keep warm.
- For chile verde, heat oil in large, deep skillet. Add onions and 4 minced garlic cloves; saute until tender. Stir in green chiles and jalapenos; continue sauteing for a few more minutes. Add tomatoes and saute briefly.
- Stir in chicken stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer.
- In small bowl, blend butter and flour; slowly whisk into chile mixture until slightly thickened. Simmer briefly to blend; remove from heat and keep warm.
- Stir chile verde into reserved Alfredo sauce. Preheat oven to 350. Coat bottom and sides of 4-inch deep full-size hotel pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour about 12 ounces green chile sauce into prepared pan, then layer on two sheets of lasagne. Sprinkle with queso fresco and add a layer of pulled chicken. Pour on more green chile sauce and another layer of lasagne sheets.
- Continue layering cheese, sauce, chicken and lasagne until pan is full. Cover with parchment and aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven 1 hour 15 minutes until internal temperature reaches 160 F. Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes.
- To serve, cut into portions and spoon on extra green chile sauce.
Photo courtesy of Barilla